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AND  ENCOURAGEMENT  OF  ART . 

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Exhibition  are  NOT  FOR  SALE. 


NOTICE. 


Owing  to  the  great  size  of  some 
of  the  paintings,  the  Artist  suggests 
that  they  be  viewed  from  as  great  a 


distance  as  possible. 


Turk. 


X 


V Vf.restchagin. 


AMERICAN  ART  GALLERIES.  K- 


EXHIBITION  OF  THE  WORKS 


OF 

VASSILI 

VERESTCHAGIN 


ILLUSTRATED 

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NEW  YORK, 


Copyright,  1888,  by 
AMERICAN  ART  ASSOCIATION, 


Press  of  J.  J,  Little  & Co. 
Astor  Place,  New  York. 


— — : -*S>  <s>  O—  

I trust  that  men  will  love  me  ; for  my  art 
Speaks  to  the  nobler  feelings  of  the  heart, 

Renders  good  service  by  the  charm  of  truth. 

And  for  the  vanquished  ever  pleads  for  ruth. 

(. Adapted  from  Pushkin.) 


HE_ historical  details,  some  of  which  directly, 
others  indirectly,  concern  my  studies  and 
pictures  of  Palestine — that  interesting  land 
for  every  Christian — are  founded  chiefly 
on  traditions  so  well  preserved  among  the 
people  of  the  East. 

My  own  researches  excepted,  I have 
availed  myself  of  the  Gospels  and  old 
books,  as  well  as  of  some  modern  com- 
pilations, such  as  Murray’s  Syria  and  Pal- 
estine, Cook’s  Handbook  for  Palestine  and  Syria , Isambert’s 
Orient , Brother  Lievin’s  Terra  Sainte , etc.  Some  of  the 
studies  are  very  small,  my  intention  having  been  to  repaint 
them  a larger  size.  Some  are  unfinished,  owing  to  the 
suspicion  of  the  Turks  that  I was  drawing  plans  of  the 
“ Promised  Land.” 


6 


My  impressions  of  travel  in  India  formed  themselves  into 
a series  of  large  pictures,  in  which  I conceived  the  idea  of 
representing  the  history  of  the  conquest  of  a large  Asiatic 
country  by  a handful  of  brave  and  enterprising  Europeans. 
The  first  picture,  commenced  on  a large  canvas,  was  intended 
to -portray  the  English  Ambassadors  in  the  presence  of  the 
Great  Mogul  in  his  celebrated  audience  hall  at  Agra.  The 
next  pictures  were  to  represent  different  prominent  events 
of  Indian  history,  finishing  with  the  triumphant  entry  of 
the  Prince  of  Wales  into  Delhi,  symbolical  of  the  definitive 
conquest  of  the  country.  This  last  scene,  which  I witnessed 
in  1875,  is  the  only  one  of  the  series  completed,  because  the 
outbreak  of  the  Russo-Turkish  war  at  that  time  took  me 
away  from  my  studio  to  the  battle-fields. 

$ $ $ $ $ 

Observing  life  through  all  my  various  travels,  I have 

been  particularly  struck  by  the  fact  that  even  in  our  time 
people  kill  one  another  everywhere  under  all  possible  pre- 
texts, and  by  every  possible  means.  Wholesale  murder  is 
still  called  war,  while  killing  individuals  is  called  execution . 
Everywhere  the  same  worship  of  brute  strength,  the  same 
inconsistency  ; on  the  one  hand  men  slaying  their  fellows 
by  the  million  for  an  idea  often  impracticable,  are  elevated 
to  a high  pedestal  of  public  admiration  : on  the  other,  men 
who  kill  individuals  for  the  sake  of  a crust  of  bread,  are 
mercilessly  and  promptly  exterminated— and  this  even  in 
Christian  countries,  in  the  name  of  Plim  whose  teaching  was 
founded  on  peace  and  love.  These  facts,  observed  on  many 
occasions,  made  a strong  impression  on  my  mind,  and  after 
having  carefully  thought  the  matter  over,  I painted  several 
pictures  of  wars  and  executions.  These  subjects  I have 
treated  in  a fashion  far  from  sentimental,  for  having  my- 
self killed  many  a poor  fellow-creature  in  different  wars,  I 
have  not  the  right  to  be  sentimental.  But  the  sight  of 
heaps  of  human  beings  slaughtered,  shot,  beheaded,  hanged 


Verestchagin’s  Studio. 


8 


under  my  eyes  in  all  that  region  extending  from  the  frontiei 
of  China  to  Bulgaria,  has  not  failed  to  impress  itself  vividly 
on  the  imaginati  ve  side  of  my  art. 

And  although  the  wars  of  the  present  time  have  changed 
their  former  character  of  God’s  judgments  upon  man, 
nevertheless,  by  the  enormous  energy  and  excitement  they 
create,  by  the  great  mental  and  material  exertion  they  call 
forth,  they  are  a phenomenon  interesting  to  all  students  of 
human  civilization.  My  intention  was  to  examine  war  in 
its  different  aspects,  and  transmit  these  faithfully.  Facts 
laid  upon  canvas  without  embellishment  must  speak 
eloquently  for  themselves. 

* ❖ 

Next  to  the  pictures  where  people  are  slain  by  the 
hundreds  of  thousands,  there  are  some  not  uninteresting- 
scenes  of  individual  killing  in  the  continual  strife  waged  by 
the  state  against  persons  called  criminals. 

In  olden  and  more  barbarous  times  the  aim  of  an  execu- 
tion was  to  torture  the  criminal  by  killing  him  as  slowly  as 
possible  ; now,  on  the  contrary,  the  aim  is  to  kill  him  as 
speedily  as  possible  and  shorten  his  sufferings.  From  this 
point  of  view  the  English  method  of ' blowing  from  guns 
(94,^),  practiced  in  India,  is  the  most  humane — this  mode 
of  execution  is  sure,  quick,  and  therefore  nearly  painless  ; at 
the  same  time  the  moral  impression  produced  by  it  is  very 
great,  and  well  suited  to  the  spirit  of  contemporary  law. 

The  next  most  humane  method  of  execution  is  by  hang- 
ing, an  old  expedient,  very  much  resorted  to  in  Russia  in 
modern  times  (94,  h).  This  method  is  inferior  to  the 
former,  because  death  is  more  lingering  and  cruel.  But 
still  it  is  an  advance  upon  the  very  old  system  of  crucifixion 
much  practised  by  the  Romans  (94,/).  By  this  latter 
the  man  who  violated  the  law  was  nailed  to  the  wood  of  the 
cross,  and  hung  there  often  many  days,  during  which  time 
his  sufferings  must  have  been  terrible. 


9 


I.  The  Tomb  of  Abraham. 


No.  i. 


This  tomb  lies  in  Hebron,  one  of  the  oldest  cities  in  the 
world.  Here  Abraham  was  visited  by  the  three  travellers 
who  predicted  the  birth  of  Isaac  and  the  destruction  of 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah.  Besides  Sarah  and  Abraham  him- 
self, Isaac,  his  wife  Rebecca,  and  many  other  patriarchs,  are 
buried  here.  Hither,  too,  was  brought  from  Egypt  the 
embalmed  body  of  Jacob,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  mummy 
is  still  in  a state  of  good  preservation. 

This  place,  containing  undoubtedly  the  true  tombs,  has 


10 


been  held  in  great  veneiation  from  the  earliest  times  by 
Jews,  Mohammedans,  and  Christians.  The  upper  part  has 
minarets  of  later  Mohammedan  workmanship  ; it  is  only 
below,  where  the  stones  are  blackened  by  age,  that  the  wall 
of  David  s time  begins.  The  sketch  is  taken  from  the  roof 
of  a neighboring  house  behind  ; it  was  impossible  to  make 
a more  finished  picture  as  the  population  is  most  fanatical, 
and  looks  upon  all  attempts  at  sketching  as  a profanation 
of  the  holy  site.  They  threw  stones  at  us.  Christians  are 
very  seldoifi  allowed  to  enter  the  mosque  (the  Prince  of 
Wales  was  allowed  to  enter  in  1862),  and  in  the  Grotto  itself 
no  Christian  traveller  has  ever  been  admitted.  The  Rabbi 
Benjamin,  who  lived  in  the  twelfth  century,  affirms  that  he 
saw  the  real  graves  of  the  patriarchs. 

2.  Bethel. 

Interesting  remains  of  a cistern,  probably  of  Jewish  origin. 
On  the  heights,  where  are  some  Roman  ruins,  Abraham 
fed  his  flocks,  and  here  he  divided  them  with  his  nephew 
Lot.  Here  Jacob  slept,  as  the  Arabs  sleep  now,  with  a stone 
for  his  pillow,  and  saw  in  a dream  a ladder  reaching  to 
heaven,  with  angels  ascending  and  descending.  Here  he 
raised  an  altar  on  the  place  where  God  spoke  to  him,  and 
on  this  spot  was  afterwards  raised  a temple,  and  a city  built, 
which,  according  to  Jewish  tradition,  was  so  large  that 
when  the  Romans  broke  in  on  one  side,  feasts  and  weddings 
were  being  celebrated  in  perfect  tranquillity  on  the  other  (?). 
At  the  present  day  there  is  nothing  but  a miserable  village 
near  the  cistern. 

3.  The  Dead  Sea. 

View  from  the  foot  of  Mount  Quarantania,  in  a grotto  of 
which,  according  to  the  tradition,  Christ  fasted  and  prayed 
forty  days. 

Only  the  northern  part  of  the  Dead  Sea  is  seen  from  here, 


not  the  southern  part,  where,  according  to  another  tradition, 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were  situated.  We  are  not  told  how 
these  two  cities  perished  ; but  it  may  be  supposed  that  the 
bitumen,  of  which  there  are  quantities  in  the  neighborhood, 
took  fire  spontaneously,  and  as  the  houses,  like  the  cele- 
brated tower  of  Babel,  were  probably  built  of  the  same 
inflammable  material,  the  two  places  would  in  one  minute 
have  been  transformed  into  an  immense  brazier.  A vol- 
canic eruption,  ordinarily  followed  by  earthquakes,  would 
probably  have  made  the  catastrophe  still  more  complete  and 
terrible.  Vegetation  was  destroyed,  and  the  waters  of  the 
lake  subsided.  These  are  so  highly  impregnated  with  salt 
(more  than  30  per  cent.)  as  to  keep  men’s  bodies  afloat,  and 
no  fish  or  living  creature  can  exist  in  them.  Ducks  and 
other  aquatic  birds  may  be  seen  resting  on  the  surface  for 
awhile,  but  not  for  long  ; and  the  shores  and  surrounding 
country  are  wilder  and  more  desolate  than  the  salt  lakes  in 
Western  Tibet  and  the  region  near  Ladak. 

Behind  the  Dead  Sea,  as  shown  on  the  study,  are  the 
Moabite  mountains  ; on  the  right,  some  distance  off,  is  the 
place  where  Moses  died  after  seeing  the  Promised  Land 
from  afar,  and  there  he  is  probably  buried,  though  the  Mus- 
sulmans hold  another  site  in  veneration,  on  the  opposite 
shore,  as  the  supposed  place  of  his  sepulture.  To  the  left 
of  the  range  are  the  passes  by  which  the  Israelites  entered 
the  valley  of  the  Jordan.  In  the  foreground  of  the  picture 
a green  spot  marks  the  valley  of  Jericho,  famed  in  olden 
times  for  its  beautiful  gardens,  but  now  a wilderness,  and  a 
breeding  place  of  scorpions.  Here  was  the  Jericho  of 
Christ’s  time  ; the  earlier  city  spoken  of  by  the  prophets  was 
more  to  the  left. 

4.  Jacob’s  Well. 

The  spot  of  land  on  which  the  well  is  dug  was  granted  by 
die  patriarch  to  his  son  Joseph.  It  lies  in  a deep  valley  at 


2 


the  foot  of  Mount  Gerizim,  before  the  entrance  to  the  pass 
of  Nablus,  the  ancient  Sikkhim,  once  the  capital  of  Samaria. 

The  ground  over  the  well  is  raised,  a Crusaders’  church 
having  once  stood  there  ; but  of  this  nothing  remains  but  a 
half-ruined  arch  over  the  well  itself. 

This  is  doubtless  the  well  at  which  Christ  was  resting 
when  he  conversed  with  the  woman  of  Samaria.  “ What 
might  have  been  our  Saviour’s  thoughts  as  He  sat  thus  at 
the  well,  wearied  with  His  journey  ? Perhaps  He  was 
thinking  of  Abraham,  who  built  his  first  altar  in  the  land  in 
this  opening  of  the  plain  (Gen.  xi.,  6),  or  of  Jacob,  whose 
only  possession  in  the  Land  of  Promise  was  here  (xxxiii.,  19). 
And  even  this  possession,  bought  and  paid  for  as  it  had 
been,  was  taken  from  him  by  the  Amorites.  But  he  recon- 
quered it  from  them — ‘ I took  it  out  of  the  hand  of  the 
Amorite  with  my  sword  and  my  bow,’  said  the  dying 
patriarch  (Gen.  xlviii.,  22) — and  left  it  to  Joseph,  who  long 
years  afterwards  gave  commandment  concerning  his  bones, 
which  were  brought  from  Egypt  and  buried  here  (Joshua 
xxiv.,  32).  Perhaps  Christ  thought  of  Joseph  wandering  in 
that  very  field  in  search  of  his  brethren  (Gen.  xxxvii.,  15), 
and  saw  in  the  persecution  of  his  brethren  and  the  final 
victory  of  the  beloved  son,  one  of  the  divine  pictures  of  the 
past,  typical  of  Himself ; or  perhaps  his  thoughts  were 
dwelling  upon  that  first  gathering  of  all  Israel  when  first 
they  came  into  the  land.  . . . ” (. Hodder .) 

5.  The  Tomb  of  Joseph. 

Not  far  from  the  well  is  in  all  probability  the  real  burial 
place  of  the  celebrated  minister  of  Pharaoh.  It  is  well 
known  that  Joseph  on  his  deathbed  took  the  oath  of  the 
children  of  Israel,  saying,  “ Godwill  surely  visit  you,  and  ye 
shall  carry  up  my  bones  from  hence  ” (Gen.  1.,  25).  “ And 

the  bones  of  Joseph  which  the  children  of  Israel  brought  up 


13 


out  of  Egypt,  buried  they  in  Shechem,  in  a parcel  of  ground 
which  Jacob  bought  of  the  sons  of  Kamor,  the  father  of 
Shechem.  ...”  (Joshua  xxiv.,  32). 

6.  Gilgal. 

The  place  in  the  Jordan  valley  where,  as  it  is  said,  the 
Israelites,  after  crossing  this  river,  erected  the  twelve  stones 
and  rested  the  first  time  in  the  Promised  Land  the  Ark  of 
the  Covenant  (Joshua  iv.,  19,  20).  Here  they  celebrated  for 
the  first  time  the  Passover.  Here  Saul  was  anointed  king. 
Here,  too,  the  tribe  of  Judah  welcomed  David  on  his  return 
from  exile. 

In  the  time  of  the  early  Christians  there  was  a church 
here  dedicated  to  the  Archangel  Michael,  who  appeared  to 
Joshua  at  this  spot — “a  man  over  against  him  with  his 
sword  drawn  in  his  hand,  and  Joshua  went  to  him  and  said, 
‘ Art  thou  for  us  or  for  our  adversaries  ? ’ And  he  said,  ‘ Nay, 
but  as  captain  of  the  host  of  the  Lord  am  I now  come 
(Joshua  v.,  19),  and  inspired  the  Jews  with  courage  to  attack 
Jericho. 

A solitary  tamarisk  now  marks  the  spot,  and  some  hillocks 
indicate  the  sites  of  Christian  churches. 

7.  Samuel’s  Tomb. 

It  is  not  well  known  if  this  really  be  the  burial-place  of 
the  great  Israelitish.  judge.  The  Mohammedans  hold  the 
place  in  the  greatest  honor,  and  visit  it  in  thousands.  The 
tomb  occupies  a commanding  site  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Jerusalem.  Here  the  Israelites  assembled  at  Samuel’s  call 
to  make  war  against  the  Philistines,  and  here  they  elected 
their  first  king. 

All  the  neighboring  heights  and  valleys  are  full  of  his- 
torical reminiscences.  The  mount  slopes  down  to  the  valley 
of  Gabaon  (Gibeon)  where,  before  the  battle  between  the 


14 


tribes  of  Judah  and  Benjamin,  twelve  youths  from  either 
side  fought  with  such  ardor  that  they  all  fell  dead  (2  Samuel 
ii.,  16). 

In  Gabaon  also,  Solomon  sacrificed  to  God  full  a thousand 
men.  Here  the  Lord  appeared  to  him  in  a dream,  promising 
to  fulfil  the  wish  of  his  heart,  and  to  Solomon’s  desire  for 
wisdom,  joined  riches  and  glory.  Near  here  is  the  cele- 
brated valley  of  Bethhoron,  where  the  Israelites,  under 
Joshua,  vanquished  the  Amorites.  He  applied  to  the  Lord, 
and  cried  out  before  the  whole  of  Israel,  Sun,  stand  thou 
still  upon  Gibeon,  and  thou,  Moon,  in  the  valley  of  Ajalon  ” 
(Joshua  x.,  12).  And  the  sun  stood  still  and  the  moon 
stayed  till  Adonizedec,  King  of  Jerusalem,  was  vanquished. 

8.  Gideon’s  Spring-. 

The  rocky  cavern  whence  issues  water  of  the  fountain, 
clear  as  crystal.  Near  this  place  a celebrated  battle  was 


No.  8. 


fought  ; Gideon  with  his  three  hundred  warriors  vanquished 
the  host  of  the  Midianites.  At  this  spring  he  tried  the 


i5 


bearing  of  his  warriors  by  taking  those  only  with  him  in  his 
dangerous  night  expedition  who,  on  coming  to  the  spring 
after  the  hard  day’s  march,  drank  water  with  the  hands,  and 
not  those  who  bowed  on  the  knees  and  drank  with  the 
mouth  only. 

It  was  night,  and  the  Midianites  were  asleep.  “ The 
Midiamtes  and  the  Amalekites  and  all  the  children  of  the 
East  lay  along  in  the  valleys  like  grasshoppers  for  multitude, 
and  their  camels  were  without  number  as  the  sand  by  the 
sea-side  for  multitude.  . . . And  he  divided  the  three 

hundred  men  into  three  companies,  and  he  put  a trumpet  in 
every  man’s  hand,  with  empty  pitchers,  and  lamps  within  the 
pitchers”  (Judges  vii.,  12,  16).  So  he  drew  near  the  camp 
of  the  Midianites.  And  at  the  moment  the  trumpets  were 
blown  and  the  pitchers  broken,  the  Israelites  holding  the 
lamps  with  their  left  hands  and  the  trumpets  with  their 
right,  fell  upon  the  panic-stricken  foe  with  the  cry,  “The 
sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon”  (Judges  chap.  vii.). 

9.  The  Valley  of  Ezdraelon. 

This  celebrated  valley  often  witnessed  the  Israelitish 
struggles.  • On  the  right  is  Mount  Gilboa,  where  Saul  and 
his  three  sons  were  killed.  On  the  left  of  Gilboa  are  the 
ruins  of  Jezreel,  the  residence  of  Ahab  and  Jezebel,  where 
the  latter  was  thrown  from  a window  to  the  dogs.  On  the 
left  of  the  small  study  one  may  see  little  Hermon,  where 
the  Philistines  pitched  camp  before  the  battle  against 
Saul  ; the  Israelites  occupied  a position  under  Gilboa,  near 
Gideon’s  spring  ; their  position  was  bad,  because  the  ground 
slopes  towards  the  fountain,  and  thus  gave  the  advantage  to 
the  Philistines.  These  put  the  Israelites  to  flight  at  once, 
so  that  the  chief  slaughter  was  probably  on  the  heights, 
where  the  following  day  the  bodies  of  Saul  and  his  sons 
were  found. 


1 6 


io.  The  Cave  Endor. 

Before  the  battle,  as  we  know,  Saul  went  to  consult  the 
Witch  of  Endor.  His  mission  was  not  without  danger,  as 
the  village  of  Endor  is  on  the  north  side  of  little  Hermon, 
at  the  foot  of  which  was  the  camp  of  the  Philistines.  Saul 
turned  to  the  right,  and  so  could  reach  Endor  “ in  two 


No.  io. 


hours’  time.”  The  witch  predicted  to  the  King  his 
defeat  and  death.  “ And  to-morrow  shalt  thou  and  thy 
sons  be  with  me  : ” (said  the  spirit  of  Samuel  to  the  King), 
“ the  Lord  also  shall  deliver  the  host  of  Israel  into  the 
hands  of  the  Philistines  ” (i  Samuel  xxviii.,  19). 


7 


In  the  now  very  dirty  village  of  Endor  there  are  many 
caverns — possibly  one  of  these  was  inhabited  by  the  witch. 
Before  the  entrance  of  the  cave  here  represented,  traces  of 
a threshold  may  be  seen  ; inside  is  a large  room  and  another 
smaller  beyond. 


ii.  Beisan  (Beth-shan). 

The  small  green  hill,  seen  in  the  distance,  was  the  acrop- 
olis of  an  inaccessible  fortress  of  the  Philistines,  the  only 
one  which  the  Israelites  could  never  capture.  The  citadel 
stood  on  the  summit  of  the  hill,  and  from  a near  point  of 
view  appears  to  be  naturally  of  uncommon  strength.  Deep 
ditches  and  a wall  surround  it.  The  principal  gates,  now 
almost  in  ruins,  may  still  be  seen  on  the  north  side,  and  it  is 
not  improbable  that  on  these  very  gates  were  suspended  the 
bodies  of  Saul  and  Jonathan,  killed  on  the  adjacent  heights 
of  Gilboa.  “ And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  when  the 
Philistines  came  to  strip  the  slain,  that  they  found  Saul  and 
his  three  sons  fallen  in  Mount  Gilboa.  And  they  cut  off 
his  head  and  stripped  off  his  armour,  and  sent  into  the  land 
of  the  Philistines  round  about,  to  publish  it  in  the  house  of 
their  idols  and  among  the  people.  And  they  put  his  armour 
in  the  house  of  Ashtaroth,  and  they  fastened  his  body  to 
the  wall  of  Beth-shan  ” (i  Samuel  xxxi.,  8-io). 

12.  Beisan  (Beth-shan)  Theatre. 

The  same  hill  forms  one  side  of  a Roman  theater,  now 
completely  overgrown  with  bushes,  but  the  doors  and  pas- 
sages are  still  well  preserved.  The  building  is  semi-circular 
and  entirely  built  of  blocks  of  basalt.  A great  number  of 
Christians,  especially  during  the  reign  of  Julian,  were  torn 
to  pieces  here  by  wild  beasts. 

2 


8 


13-  Solomon’s  Wall. 

The  six  lower  ranges  of  these  splendid  stones  are  beyond 
doubt  of  the  time  of  David  and  Solomon,  the  next  rows 
may  be  attributed  to  Herod,  while  the  upper  and  smallest 
date  from  the  Mohammedan  period.  This  part  of  the  great 
wall  which  surrounded  the  Temple  is  called  The  Wailing 
Place , because  the  Jews  for  a long  time  past  have  been 
in  the  habit  of  coming  hither — at  first  once  a year  on  the 
anniversary  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  (on  payment  of 
a heavy  tax  to  the  Mussulman  authorities),  and  in  more 
recent  days  as  frequently  as  they  wished — to  bewail  their 
past  greatness  and  present  dispersion.  Seldom  can  any- 
thing more  touching  be  seen.  The  Jews  of  both  sexes  and 
of  all  ages  arrive  from  all  parts  of  the  world  to  pray  and 
weep  with  loud  cries,  and  literally  to  wash  with  their  tears 
the  sacred  stones  ! On  Friday  the  place  is  quite  full  of 
people  from  Palestine,  Central  Asia,  India,  Europe  and 
especially  from  Russia — all  praying  in  the  most  plaintive 
tones,  beating  their  breasts,  rocking  their  bodies  to  and  fro, 
or  leaning  motionless  against  the  stones  and  weeping,  weep- 
ing, weeping ! 

The  Jews  seem  to  bring  all  their  sorrows  and  misfortunes 
to  this  place.  A woman  approaches  with  unsteady  gait, 
throws  herself  against  the  wall,  and  in  an  agonized  voice 
implores  God  to  give  her  back  her  dead  child.  Farther  on 
two  Jews,  wearied  with  praying,  are  talking  business.  “ Have 
you  bought?  What  have  you  paid?  Too  dear!”  and  so 
on.  After  this  interlude  they  recommence  praying  and 
weeping. 

An  old  rabbi  is  sitting  in  his  corner  on  a stone  or  an 
empty  wine  box  with  the  inevitable  “ Bordeaux  ” mark,  and 
with  eyes  full  of  tears  reads  in  his  book  : “ O God,  the 
heathen  are  come  into  thine  inheritance  ; thy  holy  temple 
have  they  defiled  ; they  have  laid  Jerusalem  in  heaps.  . . . 


No.  13. 


20 


We  are  become  a reproach  to  our  neighbours,  a scorn  and 
derision  to  them  that  are  round  about  us.  How  long,  Lord  ? 
Will’st  thou  be  angry  with  us  for  ever  ! Shall  thy  jealousy 
burn  like  fire  ? ” 

Fragments  of  an  interesting  litany  are  often  sung  here  : 

I. 

Reader : Because  of  the  palace  which  is  deserted, 

People  : We  sit  alone  and  weep. 

Reader  : Because  of  the  Temple  which  is  destroyed, 

Because  of  the  walls  which  are  broken  down, 

Because  of  our  greatness  which  is  departed, 

Because  of  the  precious  stones  of  the  Temple  ground  to 
powder, 

Because  of  our  priests  who  have  erred  and  gone  astray. 
Because  of  our  kings  who  have  contemned  God, 

People  : We  sit  alone  and  weep. 

II. 

Reader:  We  beseech  Thee,  have  mercy  on  Zion. 

People  : And  gather  together  the  children  of  Jerusalem 
Reader  : Make  speed,  make  speed,  O Deliverer  of  Zion. 

People  : Speak  after  the  heart  of  Jerusalem. 

Reader  : Let  Zion  be  girded  with  beauty  and  with  majesty. 

People  : Show  favour  unto  Jerusalem. 

Reader  : Let  Zion  find  again  her  kings. 

People  : Comfort  those  who  mourn  over  Jerusalem. 

Reader  : Let  peace  and  joy  return  to  Jerusalem. 

People  : Let  the  branch  of  Jerusalem  put  forth  and  bud. 

14.  Business  and  Prayers. 

i 

, • 

15:  The  Spring  of  Elisha. 

Most  probably  the  spring  whose  bitter  water  the  prophet 
made  sweet  in  answer  to  the  complaint  of  the  inhabitants  : 
*‘  And  the  men  of  the  city  said  unto  Elisha,  Behold,  I pray 
thee,  the  situation  of  this  city  is  pleasant,  as  my  Lord  seeth  ; 
but  the  water  is  naught  and  the  ground  barren.  And  he 
said,  bring  me  a new  cruse,  and  put  salt  therein.  And  they 


21 


brought  it  to  him.  And  he  went  forth  unto  the  spring  of 
the  waters  and  cast  the  salt  in  there,  and  said,  Thus  saith  the 
Lord,  I have  healed  these  waters  ; there  shall  not  be  from 
them  any  more  death  or  barren  land.  So  the  waters  were 
healed  unto  this  day,  according  to  the  saying  of  Elisha 
which  he  spake  ” (2  Kings  ii.,  19-23). 

Under  the  spring  are  the  remains  of  a wall  of  Roman 
date.  It  is  generally  admitted  that  Herod  drowned  in  this 
spring  his  relative  Aristobulus,  upon  whom  the  people  looked 
as  his  successor. 

16.  Ruins  of  a Samaritan  Temple  at  Shechem. 

When  the  Jews  returned  from  captivity  in  Babylon,  the 
Samaritans,  who  “ feared  the  Lord  but  served  their  own 
gods,”  desired  to  assist  them  in  rebuilding  the  temple  but 
were  refused.  They  then  resolved  to  build  one  for  them- 
selves on  Mount  Gerizim,  and  their  hostility  to  the  Jews 
increased  to  such  a point  that  it  became  a sin  to  extend  the 
rites  of  hospitality  on  either  side,  and  the  words  of  the 
woman  of  Samaria  to  Christ  expressed  well  the  feeling 
which  afterwards  existed  between  the  two  races  : “ How  is 
it  that  thou,  being  a Jew,  askest  drink  of  me  who  am  a 
woman  of  Samaria?  for  the  Jews  have  no  dealings  with  the 
Samaritans.”  The  temple  on  Mount  Gerizim  was  destroyed 
later,  and  on  the  place  where  it  stood,  probably  out  of  the 
same  materials,  was  built  a church  dedicated  to  the  Virgin, 
also  now  in  ruins.  The  walls  are  thick  and  the  stones  very 
huge.  Some  of  these  stones,  of  unusual  size,  are  identified, 
according  to  the  legend,  with  the  twelve  stones  brought  from 
the  Jordan  and  erected  at  Gilgal  as  a memorial,  but  this  is 
highly  improbable.  Even  more  dubious  is  the  assertion  of 
the  Samaritans  that  Abraham  offered  up  Isaac  at  this  spot, 
and  that  Jacob  had  here  the  vision  of  the  heavenly  ladder, 
etc.,  etc. 


22 


The  Samaritans  to  the  present  day  celebrate  their  Pass- 
over  here  with  offerings,  and  the  entire  ceremonial  as  in 
olden  times.  It  may  be  remarked  that  their  numbers  are 
very  small,  some  fifty  souls  at  the  most,  and  they  are  con- 
stantly diminishing.  I have  not  had  the  opportunity  of 
sketching  one  of  their  types,  but  find  them  very  like  the 
Jews  in  appearance.  The  summit  of  Mount  Gerizim  is 
nearly  three  thousand  feet  above  sea  level.  The  view  from 
the  table  land  and  the  ruins  is  beautiful.  On  one  side  may 
be  seen  the  Mediterranean,  and  on  the  other,  the  snowy 
crest  of  Hermon. 

17.  An  Old  Street  in  Samaria,  Sebastia. 

Under  the  reign  of  Asa,  King  of  Judah,  Omri,  King  of 
Israel,  bought  the  hill  Samaria,  for  two  talents  of  silver,  built 
a city, 'and  removed  thither  his  residence  from  Shechem. 
His  son  Ahab,  who  married  Jezebel,  introduced  again  the 
worship  of  Baal.  “ And  he  reared  up  an  altar  for  Baal,  in  the 
house  of  Baal,  which  he  had  built  in  Samaria.  And  Ahab 
made  a grove,  and  Ahab  did  more  to  provoke  the  Lord  God 
of  Israel  to  anger  than  all  the  kings  of  Israel  that  were 
before  him”  (1  Kings  xvi.,  30-32).  At  a later  date  the 
miracles  of  Elisha  took  place  here. 

Herod  entirely  rebuilt  the  city,  embellished  it  and  called 
it,  in  honor  of  the  Emperor  Agustus,  Sebastia.  The  columns 
now  remaining  belong  to  this  period.  These  noble  sur- 
vivors of  the  past  magnificence  of  the  place,  rearing  aloft 
above  the  corn-fields,  appeal  powerfully  to  the  imagination. 
Looking  upon  the  desolate  scene  one  is  reminded  of  the 
words  of  the  prophecy  : “ Samaria  shall  become  desolate  for 
she  hath  rebelled  against  her  God  ” (Hosea  xiii.,  16).  “ I will 
make  Samaria  as  an  heap  of  the  field  and  as  plantings  of  a vine- 
yard, and  I will  pour  down  the  stones  thereof  into  the  valley, 
and  I will  discover  the  foundations  thereof”  (Micah  i.,  6). 


23 


i8.  Entrance  to  the  Tombs  of  the  Kings. 

Near  Jerusalem,  on  the  road  to  Damascus,  a large 
monumental  staircase,  cut  in  the  rock,  leads  to  an  entrance 
which  was  lately  thoroughly  excavated.  (It  is  easy  to  see 
on  the  picture  that  part  of  the  rock  which  remained  for 
centuries  under  the  earth.) 

This  entrance  opens  on  a large  court,  surrounded  by 
rocks  of  very  imposing  character.  The  waters  are  led  away 
to  cisterns,  which,  like  the  whole  work,  are  of  a coarse  but 
solid  structure. 

19.  Tombs  of  the  Kings. 

In  this  court  (see  last  picture)  is  a wide  vestibule, 
formerly  surported  by  two  columns,  of  which  next  to 
nothing  remains.  Under  the  opening  is  a long  sculptured 
frieze,  of  excellent  taste,  with  the  traditional  bunch  of  grapes, 
emblem  of  the  Promised  Land.  A fine  cornice  over  it  is 
unfortunately  much  injured.  The  learned  Frenchman,  De 
Saulcy,  was  of  opinion  that  here  were  the  tombs  of  the 
Israelite  kings  ; he  supposed  also  that  the  sarcophagus 
which  he  found  here  was  that  of  David  ; but  both  suppo- 
sitions are  incorrect,  and  now  it  is  admitted  that  Helena, 
Princess  of  Adiabene,  who  became  a convert  to  Judaism,  was 
buried  here  with  her  family,  about  the  beginning  of  our 
era. 

In  the  course  of  his  excavations  De  Saulcy  found  here 
many  urns,  vases,  and  lamps  of  Roman  date,  some  small 
vases  of  oriental  alabaster,  some  caskets  of  precious  stones 
and  gold  ornaments.  He  found  also  a room  previously 
unknown,  containing  a sarcophagus  with  a human  corpse 
inside.  On  first  opening  it  the  body  was  found  well  pre- 
served, but  it  crumbled  away  almost  immediately.  The 
tomb  contains  many  low  rooms  surrounded  by  niches  in 


24 


which  the  bodies  of  Helena’s  numerous  family  were  laid. 
Most  curious  is  the  entrance  stone,  so  constructed  that  a 
thief  or  any  one  who  did  not  know  the  secret  might  enter, 
but  could  not  come  out.  He  would  be  buried  alive  ! 

20.  A Fountain  near  Nazareth. 

A very  old  one,  dating  from  the  early  years  of  our  era, 
and  doubtless  visited  by  Christ  and  His  brethren  on  their 
way  to  and  from  Nazareth.  It  is  half  way  between 
Nazareth  and  Kefr-Cama,  the  Cana  of  Galilee,  where  the 
miracle  of  turning  water  into  wine  was  performed,  and 
where  are  shown  at  the  present  day  the  very  vessels  which 
served  for  this  miracle  (!) 

21.  That  Part  of  Jordan  where  Christ  was  Baptized. 

The  bed  of  the  river  is  only  about  a hundred  feet  wide  ; 
the  stream,  however  is  very  rapid,  and  looks  treacherous — 
nearly  every  year  it  carries  off  some  careless  worshippers, 
deceived  by  its  quiet,  calm  surface.  The  shores  are  covered 
with  willow,  tamarisk,  and  oleander  trees,  in  whose  thickets 
lurk  the  wild  boar,  the  panther,  and  occasionally  a Bedouin 
robber.  As  in  the  times  of  Christ,  this  locality  is  the 
resort  of  runaways  and  fugitives  from  the  police,  so  that  it 
is  never  considered  quite  safe.  Many  efforts  have  been 
made  to  mark  out  the  exact  place  where  the  Israelites 
crossed  the  Jordan,  but  the  question  is  far  from  decided  even 
now,  the  river  having  several  times  changed  its  bed. 

It  was  hereabouts  that  the  prophet  Elijah  divided  the 
waters,  crossed  the  dry  bed  of  the  river,  and  was  taken  up 
to  heaven.  Here,  too,  Elisha  divided  the  river  with  the 
mantle  of  his  master  and  the  words  : “ Where  is  the  God  of 
Elijah  ! ” The  main  interest,  however,  centres  round  one 
of  the  greatest  events  of  the  New  Testament,  the  baptism  of 


25 


Christ  by  John,  which  according  to  tradition  took  place 
here.  “Then  cometh  Jesus  from  Galilee  to  Jordan  unto 
John,  to  be  baptized  of  him.”  “And  Jesus  when  he  was 
baptized,  went  up  straightway  out  of  the  water  : and  lo,  the 
heavens  were  opened  unto  him,  and  he  saw  the  spirit  of 
God  descending  like  a dove  and  lighting  upon  him  : and  lo, 
a voice  from  heaven,  saying,  This  is  my  beloved  Son  in 
whom  I am  well  pleased  “ (Matt,  iii , 13,  16,  17). 

Every  year  great  numbers  of  worshippers  visit  the  river  : 
Greeks,  Russians,  and  others  precisely  at  this  spot,  the 
Latins  a little  farther  down.  The  former  gather  in  great 
caravans,  and  on  the  18th  January,  men  and  women  old 
and  young,  sink  into  the  holy  stream,  where  a strong  rope  is 
fastened  for  the  purpose.  Nobody  pays  any  attention  to 
personal  appearance  after  this  bath,  salvation  being  the  only 
thought  of  the  moment. 

22.  Capernaum  (Tell-Hum). 

A melancholy  place  on  the  north  coast  of  the  Sea  of 
Tiberias.  Immediately  behind  the  little  hut  shown  on  the 
study  are  ruins  of  a most  imposing  character,  probably  the 
finest  both  in  size  and  beauty  of  workmanship  to  be  found 
in  Palestine.  Overgrown  with  tall  grass  and  weeds  are 
lying  huge  blocks  of  white  marble  splendidly  ornamented, 
capitals  of  pillars,  architraves,  etc. 

Wilson  says  in  his  book  : If  Tell-Hum  be  Capernaum, 
this  is  without  a doubt  the  synagogue  built  by  the  Roman 
centurion,  and  one  of  the  most  sacred  places  on  earth.  It 
was  in  this  building  that  our  Lord  gave  the  discussion  on 
the  Bread  of  Life  (John  vi.).  “ These  things  said  he  in  the 

synagogue  as  he  taught  in  Capernaum.”  In  Capernaum 
Christ  passed  three  years  of  his  life  and  had  “ his  own 
house.”  “ And  leaving  Nazareth  he  came  and  dwelt  in 
Capernaum  which  is  upon  the  sea-coast,  in  the  borders  of 


26 


Zabulon  and  Nephthalim ; that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which 
was  spoken  by  Esias  the  prophet,  saying  : The  land  of 
Zabulon  and  the  land  of  Nephthalim  by  the  way  of  the  sea, 
beyond  Jordan,  Galilee  of  the  Gentiles  ; the  people  which 
sat  in  darkness  saw  great  light  ; and  to  them  which  sat  in 
the  region  and  shadow  of  death,  light  is  sprung  up”  (Matt, 
iv.,  13-16). 

Among  the  miracles  performed  here  were  the  healing  the 
paralyzed  man,  the  healing  of  the  mother-in-law  of  the 
Apostle  Peter,  of  the  centurion’s  servant,  and  so  on. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  these  are  the  ruins  of  Chorazin, 
but  tradition  is  strongly  against  this  idea. 

23.  Bethsaida. 

The  home  of  the  Apostles  Peter,  Andrew,  Philip,  James, 
and  John.  “ And  is  came  to  pass  that  as  the  people  pressed 
upon  him  to  hear  the  word  of  God,  he  stood  by  the  lake  of 
Gennesaret  and  saw  two  ships  standing  by  the  lake  ; but 
the  fishermen  were  gone  out  of  them  and  were  washing 
their  nets  ” (Luke  v.,  1).  He  entered  into  Simon’s  ship  and 
taught  the  people  on  shore,  and  afterward  performed  the 
miracle  of  the  draught  of  fishes  which  astonished  Peter, 
James,  and  John  ; and  the  Master  said  unto  them  : “Fear 
not,  from  henceforth  thou  shalt  catch  men.  And  when 
they  had  brought  their  ships  to  shore,  they  forsook  all  and 
followed  Him  ” (Luke  v.,  n).  Here  the  blind  man  received 
his  sight,  and  on  a height  in  the  vicinity  was  performed  the 
miracle  of  the  multiplication  of  loaves. 

No  other  part  of  the  sea-coast  is  so  convenient  for  fishing 
as  this  small  bay  with  its  low  sandy  bank.  Even  now 
fishermen  are  living  here.  On  our  demand  they  immedi- 
ately drew  their  nets  and  caught  some  fine  fish.  Here  and 
there  are  seen  heights  of  waste  ground  under  which  would 
probably  be  found  some  interesting  remains. 


27 


24.  Mount  Tabor. 

Of  very  regular  form,  rises  to  the  height  of  2,362  feet 
above  sea-level.  On  the  summit  are  ruins  of  a fortress  of 
ancient  date,  so  that  it  is  nearly  impossible  to  suppose  that 
the  Saviour  chose  this  spot  for  the  transfiguration  ; indeed, 
it  is  only  from  the  time  of  Jerome,  or  the  fourth  century, 
that  Tabor  is  accepted  as  the  place  of  the  miracle  which, 
with  more  probability,  may  be  assigned  to  any  other  “ high 
mountain  apart,”  the  only  words  of  the  New  Testament 
indicating  the  place  of  the  event. 

25.  The  Summit  of  Tabor. 

There  are  ruins  of  two  churches  of  the  Crusaders’  time. 
The  Catholic  monks  to  whom  they  belong  intend  to  restore 
the  once  splendid  buildings.  The  view  from  this  point  is 
beautiful 

26.  Entrance  to  the  Grotto  of  the  Mount  of 
Temptation. 

From  time  out  of  mind  this  mountain  was  pierced  with 
grottoes  of  anchorites,  and  there  is  a very  probable  tradi- 
tion, according  to  which  Christ  passed  in  one  of  these  grot- 
toes His  forty  days  of  fasting  and  prayer.  On  the  summit, 
at  the  place  where  it  is  said  our  Saviour  was  tempted  by 
the  devil,  are  still  the  ruins  of  a church  attributed  to  the 
Empress  Helena  : “ And  the  devil  taking  him  up  into  a 
high  mountain  showed  unto  him  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world  in  a moment  of  time.”  The  entrance  to  the  grotto 
is  half-way  up  the  mountain.  A road  now  is  made  instead 
of  the  old  path  from  which  pilgrims  sometimes  fell  into  the 
abyss  below. 

A Greek  monk  is  the  only  inhabitant  of  this  grotto. 
When  not  engaged  in  prayer  he  diverts  himself  by  feeding 


No.  26. 


29 


the  only  living  creatures  of  the  neighborhood — blackbirds, 
which  catch  the  bits  of  dried  fruits  thrown  to  them. 

27.  The  Mount  of  Temptation  by  Night. 

In  the  night,  when  a light  burns  in  the  grotto,  the 
imagination  is  carried  back  1854  years,  when  the  Great 
Anchorite  prepared  His  poor  food,  or  prayed  and  meditated 
on  His  future  deeds  and  destiny.  More  than  once,  prob- 
ably, the  devil  came  to  tempt  Him  and  make  Him  doubt 
whether  the  only  possible  way  before  Him  was  that  which 
led  through  a shameful  death  on  the  Cross. 

28.  Kitchen  of  the  Monks  in  the  Grotto. 

The  hermit  monks  are  most  abstemious  ; their  diet  con- 
sisting of  black  bread  of  a very  coarse  kind,  beans,  onions, 
garlic,  and  olives.  They  nevertheless  find  means  to  help 
the  poor  Bedouins  in  their  necessities. 

29.  Refectory  of  the  Grotto. 

The  walls  were  once  covered  with  frescoes,  but  of  these 
scarcely  anything  remains.  A door  opens  on  a balcony 
whence  there  is  a really  charming  and  interesting  view  over 
the  Jordan  valley.  Just  in  front  is  Jericho;  further  on  a 
line  of  vegetation  shows  the  direction  of  the  Jordan,  with 
the  monastery  of  St.  John.  On  the  right  is  the  Dead  Sea, 
with  the  monastery  holy  Gerasimus,  built,  it  is  believed 
on  the  spot  where  the  Virgin  Mary  rested  on  her  way  to 
Egypt  (?).  On  the  left  is  the  Jordan  valley  with  the  road 
leading  to  Tiberias  and  the  mountains  of  Samaria. 

30.  The  part  of  the  Grotto  which  according  to  tra- 
dition dates  from  the  time  of  Christ. 

From  early  Christian  times  this  part  of  the  grotto  was 
converted  into  a chapel  and  was  venerated  as  the  place 


30 


where  our  Saviour  set  the  example  of  retreat,  fasting  and 
penitence.  “ And  Jesus  being  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
returned  from  Jordan  and  was  led  by  the  spirit  into  the 
wilderness,  being  forty  days  tempted  by  the  devil.  And  in 
those  days  he  did  eat  nothing  ; and  when  they  were  ended 
he  afterward  hungered.”  (Luke  iv.,  1-2.) 

31.  The  Cupola  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  in  Jeru- 

salem. 

This  was  many  times  destroyed  by  fire  and  rebuilt.  As  it 
stands  at  present  it  was  erected  at  the  cost  of  the  Russian, 
French,  and  Turkish  governments  in  1869.  The  diameter 
of  the  cupola  is  78.7  feet. 

On  the  western  side  of  the  Sepulchre  Church  the  ruins 
of  the  Basilica  of  the  Emperor  Constantine  were  discovered 
some  years  ago  by  the  Russian  archimandrite,  Antonin,  and 
apparently  also  the  foundation  of  a city  gate,  by  which  pos- 
sibly our  Saviour  was  led  to  execution. 

32.  One  of  the  old  Jewish  Tombs  near  Jerusalem. 

An  extremely  low  entrance  leads  to  a small,  very  low 
room  in  the  rock,  wherein  are  many  niches  for  corpses.  In 
one  of  such  niches,  never  before  used,  was  interred  the 
body  of  Christ,  in  a rock  near  Golgotha  where  Joseph  of 
Arimathea,  possibly,  had  his  family  tomb.  The  entrance 
was  usually  closed  with  a big  stone,  and  it  was  impossible 
to  enter  or  come  out  otherwise  than  by  the  small  aperture 
seen  on  the  study. 

Such  are  all  the  tombs  of  those  times ; there  was  no 
other  style ; and  if  at  present  the  grave  of  our  Saviour  has 
the  form  of  a box,  it  is  because  the  rock  over  it  has  been 
broken  off,  partly  for  the  necessities  of  worship,  partly  by  j 
the  worshipers  themselves  for  relics. 


3i 


33-  Mount  Chattin. 

This  is  the  summit  of  a rock  on  the  way  from  Nazareth 
to  Tiberias,  remarkable  as  the  scene  of  the  last  battle  fought 
between  the  Crusaders  and  the  Mussulmans,  which  decided 
the  fate  of  Christendom  in  the  Holy  Land.  Seven  hundred 
years  ago,  on  the  14th  July,  1187,  Saladin  vanquished  the 
Christians  under  the  command  of  King  Lusinian,  who 
allowed  himself  to  be  enticed  to  this  rock  from  a good 
position  he  had  occupied  on  the  road  to  Nazareth.  After  a 
march  of  twenty-four  hours,  during  which  the  knights  were 
harassed  by  heat,  hunger,  thirst,  and  constant  alarms,  the 
Christian  army  took  up  their  position  for  the  night  on  this 
field,  and  were  at  once  surrounded  by  the  enemy,  so  that 
by  the  following  morning  the  issue  of  the  battle  was  already 
decided.  The  heavily  armed  and  wearied  knights  on  their 
tired  horses  could  not  withstand  the  light  bodies  of  Arabs, 
and  were  very  soon  forced  to  retire  to  the  summit  of  the  rock 
(shown  on  the  sketch).  Here  the  king,  surrounded  by  the 
clergy,  high  officials,  and  officers,  surrendered  after  a desper- 
ate defense. 

34.  The  Hermits  on  the  Jordan. 

These  hermits,  who  are  not  numerous,  live  partly  on  the 
shore  itself,  partly  on  the  sandstone  hills  some  distance  off, 
near  the  monastery  of  St.  John.  They  excavate  caves  with 
two  or  three  rooms  in  each,  so  small  that  it  is  difficult  to 
turn  round  in  them.  These  holes  are  usually  covered  with 
images,  crosses,  etc.  ; they  are  warm  in  winter  and  cool  in 
summer.  The  only  inconvenience  is  the  great  number  of 
mosquitoes  of  all  sizes,  down  to  some  so  small  as  to  be  nearly 
imperceptible.  Those  who  inhabit  caves  on  the  shores 
complain  of  toads,  snakes  and  other  reptiles.  The  occupa- 
tions of  the  hermits  are  praying,  fishing,  and  turning  crosses 


32 


of  sandal-wood,  or  tying  woolen  chaplets,  etc.,  these  objects 
being  gladly  bought  by  worshipers  visiting  the  Sacred 
River. 

35.  Portrait  of  a Hermit. 

Still  a young  man,  of  steady  appearance.  He  has  served 
in  the  Church  of  Golgotha,  but  was  obliged  to  abandon  it, 
in  order  to  avoid  the  example  of  the  other  monks  in  their 
free  manners  with  the  female  worshipers. 

36.  A Russian  Hermit. 

Father  Vassian  from  Kamenetz  Podolsk,  in  South  Russia, 
formerly  a miller  by  profession,  is  waiting  for  an  opportunity 
to  build  a good  mill  for  some  cloister,  and  afterward  to  die 
in  peace  near  the  Sacred  River.  He  was  particularly  pleased 
with  the  chaplets  on  the  sketch,  which  serve  him  for  his 
prayers,  three  times  a day,  morning,  evening,  and  midnight, 
when  he  gives  300  points  to  Christ,  300  to  the  Virgin  Mary, 
200  to  the  Angels,  Archangels,  Prophets,  and  Apostles,  and 
200  to  all  the  Saints  ! His  belief  is  great  and  sincere,  but 
the  devil  evidently  tempts  him,  as  he  asked  me  in  confidence, 
“If  the  Tsar  would  see  his  portrait,  and  possibly  give  him 
some  gratification.” 

37.  His  Lodging. 

On  the  summit  of  a hill,  with  a small  canopy  over  the 
entrance.  Passing  worshipers  lay  at  his  door  some  trifling 
gift,  such  as  biscuits  or  copper  money. 

St.  John  the  Baptist  probably  lived  in  a similar  hole. 
According  to  tradition  he  led  a wandering  life,  and  had  two 
or  three  refuges  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  more  or  less 
remote,  according  as  his  relations  happened  to  be  with  the 
authorities.  ■ . 


No.  38. 


38.  Portrait  cf  a Jewish  Rabbi. 

A Rabbi  from  the  Western  Provinces  of  Russia.  The 
Jews,  especially  the  aged,  come  in  great  numbers  to  the 
Holy  City,  in  order  to  pass  in  it  their  last  years,  and  to  be 


34 


buried  in  the  valley  of  Jehosaphat,  whence  they  believe  they 
will  be  called  before  others  to  the  future  life.  The  Jewish 
population  of  Jerusalem  has  largely  increased  in  latter  years, 
partly  because  of  the  great  number  of  charitable  institutions 
built  and  supported  by  Montefiore,  the  Rothschilds,  and 
some  other  banker-kings.  The  Turkish  government  was 
so  much  alarmed  by  this  invasion  of  Jews,  that  it  issued  an 
order  forbidding  them  to  remain  in  the  Holy  Land  more 
than  thirty  days,  and  to  settle  there.  The  Turks  are  evi- 
dently afraid  that  the  Promised  Land  will  again  pass  into 
the  possession  of  the  Jews — and  this  will  certainly  happen 
some  day. 

This  portrait  was  only  obtained  under  a promise  that  it 
should  not  be  hung  in  a Christian  church. 

39.  A Rabbi. 

Stipulated  for  a glass  of  brandy  at  each  sitting. 

40.  A Rabbi. 

41.  Portrait  of  an  Arab. 

The  Arabs  came  here  with  the  Kalifs  as  conquerors.  They 
have  a good  type,  are  hospitable,  and  belong  mostly  to  the 
Sunni  sect,  of  the  Mohammedan  religion.  There  are,  how- 
ever, many  Christians  now  among  them,  large  sums  of  money 
having  been  spent  every  year  by  different  Christian  sects 
to  attract  Arab  families  to  their  faith.  Often  after  having 
accepted  help  from  one  community,  the  Arab  returns  to  his 
former  faith,  or  allows  himself  to  be  converted  to  another 
religion  where  the  reward  is  more  substantial.  This  rivalry 
between  the  different  Christian  faiths  is  the  cause  of  great 
corruption  in  the  character  of  modern  Arabs  in  the  Holy 
Land. 


35 


42.  An  Arab  Woman. 

The  type  of  the  Arab  woman  may  be  called  beautiful.  It 
is  common  to  meet  women  at  places  of  public  resort  of 
striking  beauty  ; but,  like  all  Oriental  women,  they  grow  old 
very  early.  The  poorer  Arab  women  work  very  hard,  while 
the  rich  look  upon  every  kind  of  work  as  degrading,  and 
pass  their  days  in  incessant  chatter. 

43.  A Court  of  a House  in  Jerusalem. 

A characteristic  old  building  near  Solomon’s  Wall,  such 
as  are  ordinarily  occupied  by  two  or  three  families,  who  are 
constantly  quarreling  among  themselves.  While  engaged 
at  my  work,  I heard  an  incessant  clatter  proceeding  from 
the  shrill  voices  of  women,  mingled  with  occasional  cries  of 
children,  the  men  very  seldom  interfering  in  these  disputes. 
To  make  matters  worse,  the  atmosphere  in  these  picturesque 
courts  was  often  insupportable  from  bad  smells,  and  many 
of  the  children  were  suffering  from  different  contagious  dis- 
orders, such  as  sinall-pox. 

44.  A Greek  Monk. 

45.  The  Holy  Family,  as  I understand  it,  according 
to  the  following  texts  of  the  Gospel. 

Matthew  i.,  25  ; xii.,  46,  47,  48  ; xiii.,  55,  56. — Mark  iii., 
31,  32,  33,  34,  55  J vi.,  3-— John  ii.,  12  ; vii.,  3,  5,  10. 

46.  Jesus  with  John  the  Baptist  on  the  Jordan. 

“ Then  cometh  Jesus  from  Galilee  to  Jordan  unto  John  to 
be  baptised  of  him  ” (Matthew  iii.,  13).  John  vowed  him- 
self to  the  Lord  ; he  neither  cut  his  hair  nor  drank  wine  ; 
from  his  youth  he  withdrew  to  the  desert,  where  he  lived  in 
the  most  ascetic  manner.  “And  John  was  clothed  with 


No. 


3 7 


camels’  hair,  and  with  a girdle  of  a skin  about  his  loins,  and 
he  did  eat  locusts  and  wild  honey  ” (Mark  i.,  6). 

He  was  an  ascetic,  resembling  those  ascetics  who  may  still 
be  seen  in  India,  whence  most  probably  the  type  came  over 
to  Judaea.  The  people  regarded  him  as  a Prophet  or  even 
as  a Messiah,  and  for  a long  time  the  Priests  and  the 
Pharisees  dared  not  undertake  anything  against  him,  not- 
withstanding his  bold  and  loud  condemnations  of  their  life 
and  rules. 

The  people  streamed  to  him  to  be  baptised,  as  the  sign  of 
the  adoption  of  the  new  principles.  Christ,  who  at  that 
time  was  very  little  known,  came  also  to  John,  and  was 
baptised  with  the  others. 

“The  next  day  John  seeth  Jesus  coming  unto  him,  and 
saith,  ‘ Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin 
of  the  world.  This  is  he  of  whom  I said,  after  me  cometh 
a man  which  is  preferred  before  me,  for  he  was  before  me 
(John  i.,  29,  30).  “Now  when  John  had  heard  in  the  prison 
the  works  of  Christ,  he  sent  two  of  his  disciples  and  said 
unto  him,  ‘ Art  thou  He  that  should  come,  or  do  we  look 
for  another  ’ ” (Matthew  xi.,  2,  3).  “ And  as  they  departed, 
Jesus  began  to  say  unto  the  multitudes  concerning  John, 
‘ What  went  ye  out  into  the  wilderness  to  see  ? . . . A 

prophet?  Yea,  I say  unto  you  and  more  than  a prophet. 
For  this  is  he  of  whom  it  is  written  ’ ” (Matthew  xi.,  7,  9,  10). 

47.  Jesus  in  the  Desert. 

“The  spirit  driveth  him  into  the  wilderness,  and  he  was 
there  in  the  wilderness  forty  days,  tempted  of  Satan  ” 
(Mark  i.,  12,  13). 

Possibly  Christ,  on  returning  from  Jordan,  remained  forty 
days  in  the  desert  in  one  of  the  numerous  old  grottoes  of  the 
so-called  Mount  Quarantania,  and  left  the  retreat  only  after 
hearing  of  John’s  imprisonment.  Many  times  afterwards  He 


39 


retired  to  the  desert,  partly  for  safety,  partly  to  meditate  and 
compose  his  thoughts.  . . . 

From  the  statement  of  contemporaries  it  is  known  that 
our  Saviour  had  a handsome  figure,  beautiful  blond  hair — 
auburn,  according  to  Bysantic  tradition. 

He  seldom  smiled  but  was  easily  moved  to  tears. 

Women  were  greatly  devoted  to  Him,  and  He  was  often 
followed  by  a number  of  them.  His  face  was  beautiful 
according  to  some,  while  the  others  testify  quite  to  the  con- 
trary (Tertullian). 

48.  Christ  on  the  Sea  of  Tiberias. 

Jesus  went  out  of  his  house,  and  sat  by  the  sea-side. 
And  great  multitudes  were  gathered  unto  him,  so  that  he 
went  into  a ship  and  sat  ; and  the  whole  multitude  stood  on 
the  shore”  (Matthew  xiii.,  1,  2). 

“ And  it  came  to  pass  that  as  the  people  pressed  upon  him 
to  hear  the  word  of  God,  he  stood  by  the  lake  of  Gen- 
nesaret.  . . . ” (Luke  v.,  1,  2,  3). 

49.  The  Prophecy. 

“ Then  began  he  to  upbraid  the  cities  wherein  most  of 
his  mighty  works  were  done,  because  they  repented  not  : 
“ Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin  ! woe  unto  thee,  Bethsaida  ! for 
if  the  mighty  works  which  v/ere  done  in  you,  had  been  done 
in  Tyra  and  Sidon,  they  would  have  repented  long  ago  in 
sackcloth  and  ashes.  But  I say  unto  you,  it  shall  be  more 
tolerable  for  Tyre  and  Sidon  at  the  day  of  judgment  than 
for  you.  And  thou,  Capernaum,  which  art  exalted  unto 
heaven,  shall  be  brought  down  to  hell,  for  if  the  mighty 
works  which  have  been  done  in  thee,  had  been  done  in 
Sodom,  it  would  have  remained  unto  this  day.  But  I say 
unto  you  that  it  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  the  land  of 


40 


Sodom  in  the  day  of  judgment  than  for  thee”  (Matt,  xi., 
20-24). 

It  is  to  be  remarked  that  now  not  only  in  the  desolation 
of  these  sites,  but  in  the  very  dispute  about  their  identity, 
it  had  indeed  been  “more  tolerable  for  Tyre  and  Sidon  ” in 
the  day  of  their  earthly  judgment  than  for  those  cities  : the 
flames  of  Tyre  and  Sidon  are  preserved,  their  sites  are 
anquestioned,  but  here  the  names  are  gone,  and  the  cities 
problematical. 

50.  The  Future  Emperor  of  India. 

When  the  Prince  of  Wales  traveled  through  India  the 
native  chiefs  vied  with  one  another  in  the  splendor  and 
ceremony  of  their  receptions.  There  might  be  seen  con- 
spicuous red  costumes  by  the  side  of  picturesque  remnants 
of  mediaeval  taste  ; above  all  gleamed  costly  jewels,  gold 
and  silver.  . . . When  I came  first  to  Jeypore  I found 

that  the  houses  were  agreeably  painted  in  different  colors  : 
green,  blue,  yellow  ; but  on  returning  to  the  spot  later  on,  I 
was  perfectly  astonished  : previous  to  the  entrance  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales  into  his  residence,  the  Maharajah  of  Jey- 
pore gave  strict  orders  to  strew  with  roses  all  the  buildings 
of  his  town,  without  exception. 

51.  The  Window  of  Selim-Shisti’s  Monument. 

The  great  Mogul  Akbar,  the  most  powerful  Indian 
chief,  erected  this  monument  over  the  remains  of  his  friend 
and  counsellor,  Selim-Shisti,  a man  who  led  a most  holy 
life,  and  whose  memory  is  still  held  in  reverence  by  all  the 
Mohammedans  of  India.  This  window,  like  the  monument 
itself,  is  of  pure  white  marble.  On  the  veranda  surround- 
ing it  pilgrims  converse  with  the  descendants  of  the  saint, 
who  perform  religious  offices  without  being  themselves  in 
the  least  degree  holy. 


No.  50. 


42 


52.  The  Gate  of  Aliah-Uddin  in  Ancient  Delhi. 

Has  been  built  upwards  of  six  hundred  years,  of  red  sand- 
stone admirably  preserved.  Court  attendants,  and  grooms 
with  horses,  await  the  coming  of  their  master. 


53.  The  House  of  Berbul  in  Futtehpore  Sikri  (in 
the  neighborhood  of  Agra). 

So  massive  are  the  red  stone  buildings,  so  fine  and  deli- 
cate their  details,  that  from  the  outside,  as  well  as  from  the 
interior,  the  structure  seems  carved  out  cf  ivory.  Raja 
Berbul,  favorite  of  the  great  Moghul  Akbar,  was  one  of  the 
adherents  of  the  party  who  contemplated  a fusion  of  Sara- 
cenic with  Indian  elements,  and  this  building  bears  witness 
to  his  intentions. 

54.  The  Chief  Mosque  in  Futtehpore  Sikri 

Stands  on  the  western  side  of  an  immense  courtyard,  sur- 
rounded by  beautiful  galleries,  with  many  other  mosques 
and  enormous  gates. 

Built  after  the  pattern  of  the  mosque  in  Mekka,  erected 
over  the  grave  of  Mahomet,  entrance  to  which  is  strictly 
forbidden  to  unbelievers. 

55.  The  Pearl  Mosque  in  Agra. 

The  temple  is  of  white  marble  in  Mauresque  style,  of  very 
fine  proportions.  There  are  few  or  no  ornaments,  but  the 
beauty  of  lines  and  of  the  material  compensate  for  it.  The 
mosque  was  built  in  the  year  1654,  at  the  time  when  the 
first  signs  of  decay  in  the  Mogul  art  began  to  be  felt. 


No.  54, 


44 


56.  Sunrise  in  the  Himalayas. 

Opposite  Darjiling.  Sunrise  and  sunset  in  these  moun- 
tains afford  the  most  ravishing  and  magnificent  sights  which 
the  brush  can  only  approximately  depict. 

One  day  I went  out  to  make  a sketch  of  the  sunset.  I 
prepared  my  palette,  but  the  sight  was  so  beautiful  I waited, 
delayed  the  work  in  order  to  examine  better  the  sight. 
Several  thousand  feet  below  me  all  was  wrapt  in  a pure  blue 
shadow  ; the  summits  of  the  peaks  were  resplendent  in  pur- 
ple flames.  I waited,  and  waited,  and  would  not  begin  my 
sketch.  “ By  and  by,”  said  I,  “ I want  to  look  at  it  still,  it  is 
so  splendid  ! ” I continued  to  wait,  and  waited  until  the 
end  of  the  evening  — until  the  sun  was  set,  and  the  mountains 
were  enveloped  in  dark  shadows.  Then  I shut  up  my  paint- 
box and  returned  home. 

57.  The  same. 

58.  The  Taj  in  the  Morning  (from  the  Garden). 

59.  The  Taj  in  the  Evening  (from  the  Garden). 

60.  The  Taj  in  the  Evening  (from  the  River). 

The  Taj  is  properly  a monument  erected  by  the  Great 
Mogul,  Shah  Jihan,  over  the  grave  of  his  favorite  wife.  She 
died  in  full  strength  of  youth  and  beauty,  and  the  Great 
Mogul  promised  in  memory  of  her  to  build  such  a monu- 
ment over  her  tomb  that  would  surpass  all  the  existing  con- 
structions. And  so  he  did.  I must  say  that  in  my  opinion 
there  is  nothing  even  in  Europe  which  can  surpass  the  Taj 
— this  quiet,  solemn,  wonderful  place  of  the  last  rest  of  a 
charming  woman,  who  died  giving  birth  to  her  first  child, 
the  future  emperor.  Built  of  white  marble,  it  is  decked  from 
top  to  bottom  with  ornaments  of  lapis-lazuli,  malachite,  cor- 
nelians, and  other  precious  stones.  It  is  difficult  to  form  an 


45 


idea  of  the  splendor  of  this  building  without  seeing  it. 
From  the  garden  it  affords  a particularly  charming  aspect, 
where  its  beautiful  lines  and  dazzling  white  marble  are 
thrown  into  high  relief  by  the  dark  green  foliage. 

There  were  20,000  men  engaged  upon  it  for  seventeen 
years,  and  although  the  labor  cost  nothing,  the  sum  of 
$20,000,000  was  swallowed  up  by  this  building. 

The  entrance  door  was  made  of  massive  silver,  and  an 
enormous  diamond  was  placed  on  the  tomb  itself.  One  may 
remark,  perhaps,  that  the  middle  cupola  is  a little  too  heavy, 
or  that  some  other  details  could  have  been  treated  in  another 
way,  but  taken  in  its  ensemble,  as  I remarked  somewhere 
before,  Taj  can  be  compared  to  a beautiful  woman  whom 
you  make  bold  to  criticise  when  she  is  absent,  but  in  whose 
presence  you  can  only  say  : Charming,  charming,  charming  ! 

61.  The  Private  Mosque  of  the  Great  Moguls  in 
the  Palace  of  Dehli. 

Surrounded  from  all  sides  with  white  marble  w^alls,  the 
mosque  is  strongly  reflected — no  dark  shadows — fresh,  cool, 
airy.  I like  the  Moslem  mosques  ; the  prayer  is  simple  and 
not  less  solemn  than  that  of  the  Christian’s  ; but  the  Deity  is 
not  represented  there  in  any  painted  or  sculptured  form. 
You  may  feel  that  God  is  present  at  your  prayer,  but  where 
is  He  ? — it  is  left  to  your  soul  to  discover  it.  . . 

62.  Mount  Kanchinjinga,  from  Darjiling  in  the 
Evening. 

63.  Tibetan  Lamas. 

Good-natured,  voracious  creatures,  who  never  change 
their  clothes,  which  therefore  smell,  and  are  full  of  insects. 
Nevertheless,  all  the  higher  Lamas  are  immortal,  i.  e .,  their 
souls,  according  to  the  Buddhist  belief,  are  immediately  after 
death  born  again  in  the  bodies  of  little  children. 


46 


64.  Hindu  Workman. 

Down-trodden,  poor  beings,  who  can  never  quite  satisfy 
their  hunger.  The  Hindu  is  remarkable  for  his  talent  for 
any  work  requiring  great  patience.  Builder  of  the  greatest 
and  most  handsome  monuments,  accomplished  workmen  in 
the  finest  jewelry  work,  hard  worker  in  every  line — he  lives 
on  five  cents  a day,  himself  and  family.  When  the  hard 
time  of  famine  comes  on  he  only  tightens  his  belt,  compress- 
ing his  stomach  more  and  more  every  day. 

65.  Bhutanese  of  Sikkhim  in  the  Himalayas. 

The  Bhutanese  are  of  Mongol  race  ; an  idle,  quarrelsome, 
and  extremely  superstitious  people.  The  tribe  is  closely 
connected  with  Thibet,  properly  speaking  : and  these  men 
are  very  numerous  in  the  Thibetan  army,  the  English  have 
to  face  in  their  present  war. 

66.  Bhutanese  Girl. 

67.  Bhutanese  Woman. 

68.  Hindu  Mohammedan  Workman. 

The  Mohammedan  Hindus  are,  probably  in  consequence 
of  their  warlike  religion,  not  so  apathetic  as  the  Brahmans. 
Their  religion  allows  the  former  to  do  many  things  forbid- 
den to  the  latter. 

69.  Kanchinjinga,  Pandim  and  other  Mountains  in 
in  the  Clouds. 

These  effects  of  sun  in  India  are  simply  astonishing — 
without  seeing  them  it  is  difficult  to  have  faith  in  the  truth- 
fulness of  the  artist. 


70.  Sunset  in  India. 


47 


71.  The  Forgotten  Soldier.* 

These  lines  are  by  the  artist , and  are  translated  from  the  original  by  IV.  li.  S. 
Ralston- 

(a)  Hushed  is  the  battle  : silence  fills 
Anew  the  hollows  of  the  hills  ; 

Save  where,  amid  the  rocks  alone, 

Is  feebly  heard  a dying  groan. 

* * * -x-  * $ 

Above  the  topmost  snowy  height, 

A somber  spot  in  azure  light. 

On  steady  wing,  intent  on  prey, 

A vulture  wends  its  circling  way. 

( b ) Far  from  its  watch-place  in  the  skies, 

A gleam  of  scarlet  it  espies. 

Amid  the  bushes,  where  the  mist 
The  forehead  of  the  hill  has  kissed. 

Sweeps  the  vulture  widely  round, 

Sees  what  cumbereth  the  ground, 

Folds  its  pinions  ; from  afar 
Earthward  drops — like  a falling  star. 

(c)  Together  to  the  banquet  fly 

Its  comrades,  summoned  by  its  cry  ; 

With  eager  beaks  and  claws  the  troop 
Of  vulture’s  on  the  booty  swoop. 

But  hark  ! fresh  pinions  cleave  the  air 
The  eagles  to  the  feast  repair ; 

Above  the  dead,  with  hunger’s  rage, 

The  rival  bands  in  fight  engage. 

How  long  the  contest  lasted  none 
Can  say,  nor  which  the  vict’ry  won  ; 

Only  the  hills,  the  battle  o’er, 

Have  seen  the  vulture  wheel  no  more. 

* x x-  x-  x-  * 

All  in  the  mountains  is  at  peace, 

There  all  things  flourish,  gleam,  increase  ; 

Day  follows  day,  the  years  go  by — 

The  soldier’s  bones  .forgotten  lie. 

* Only  one  of  these  large  pictures  could  be  exhibited  here. 


No.  74. 


49 


72.  In  Bulgaria  during  the  War  (Outposts  in 
the  Balkans.) 

73.  In  Bulgaria  after  the  War. 

74.  Cossack  Picket  on  the  Danube. 

Pickets  of  Cossacks  and  Hussars  were  stationed  along 
the  left  bank  of  the  Danube  opposite  Rustchuk,  before  the 
Russians  crossed  this  river.  At  each  Cossack  picket  was  a 
beacon  with  tarred  straw  twisted  round  it,  to  be  lighted  in 
case  of  alarm,  in  order  that  danger  might  be  at  once  sig- 
nalled down  the  whole  line. 

75  Skobeleff  at  Shipka. 

The  day  after  the  battle  at  Shipka,  where  the  Turks  under 
Vessel  Pasha  were  surrounded  and  fe&ken  prisoners,  Skobeleff 
reviewed  his  troops,  and  thanked  them  for  the  victory.  The 
regiments  were  drawn  up  facing  the  Turkish  forts,  with 
their  left  flank  on  Mount  St.  Nicholas.  Putting  spurs  to  his 
horse,  the  general  galloped  down  the  line,  and,  waving  his  cap, 
shouted  to  the  men  : “ In  our  country’s  name,  on  the  part 
of  our  Sovereign,  I thank  you  my  comrades  ! ” It  would 
be  difficult  to  describe  the  enthusiasm  that  prevailed  as  the 
soldiers  threw  their  caps  in  the  air  and  cheered  repeatedly, 
Skobeleff  was  evidently  deeply  moved,  as  I saw  tears  in  his 
eyes.  Indeed  all  were  overjoyed  at  the  success,  every  one 
kept  holiday— except  the  dead,  slain  but  yesterday,  and  still 
littering  the  ground  before  the  trenches. 

76.  The  Earth  Huts  at  Shipka. 

The  road  up  the  Shipka  Pass  reminded  me  of  a village. 
On  one  side  were  the  earth  huts  of  the  soldiers,  with  an 
occasional  small  house  of  a commanding  officer  ; on  the 


5i 


other  a row  of  fir  tops  to  show  the  direction  of  the  road  in 
misty  weather.  Having  no  warm  clothing,  the  men  covered 
themselves  with  anything  they  could  get,  mostly  bits  of  tent 
canvas  which  served  instead  of  overcoats.  This  was  a very 
slight  protection  against  the  cold,  and  large  numbers  were 
frostbitten  every  day.  The  close  earth  huts  swarmed  with 
every  species  of  insect,  and  though  bullet-proof  to  some 
extent,  afforded  no  shelter  against  artillery  fire,  particularly 
shells,  which  often  burst  through  the  roofs  and  killed  every- 
body inside.  It  was  dangerous  to  venture  outside  the  huts, 
owing  to  the  commanding  positions  held  by  the  Turks,  who 
enfiladed  our  men  on  three  sides,  and  could  pick  them  off 
with  their  rifle  fire.  It  became  particularly  lively  at  meal 
times,  when  the  rations  were  brought  round  in  troikas  (carts 
drawn  by  three  horses)  from  the  shelter  of  the  hills,  and 
now  and  again  a shell  would  burst  in  the  midst  of  a crowd 
surrounding  one  of  these  provision  wagons,  and  confuse  in 
one  heap,  cart,  horses,  and  men.  The  water-bearers  also 
suffered  heavily,  many  of  them  never  returning.  All  day 
long  bullets  were  whizzing  about,  literally  like  flies  ; every 
minute  a shell  would  burst,  now  on  this  side,  now  on  that. 
Well  do  I remember  one  day  sitting  down  to  sketch  under 
cover  of  a Turkish  bullet-proof  block-house,  and  being 
obliged  to  leave  my  work  unfinished,  three  shells  in  rapid 
succession  having  struck  the  roof,  entered  and  broken  every- 
thing, covering  my  palette  thickly  with  dust  and  dirt. 

77.  Snow  Trenches  on  the  Pass. 

The  day  of  our  crossing  the  Balkans,  in  order  to  guard 
against  a possible  flank  attack,  Skobeleff  ordered  trenches  to 
be  dug.  The  earth  was  so  hard  frozen,  that  it  became 
necessary  to  throw  up  breastworks  of  snow,  which  lay  so 
deep  on  the  ground  that  the  Turks  never  thought  of  attack- 
ing us,  but  only  assembled  in  crowds  in  their  positions  on  our 


No.  78. 


53 


front,  on  a level  with  us,  evidently  surprised  at  our  move- 
ments in  the  deep  snow,  while  the  few  shells  fired  from  their 
batteries  caused  us  no  loss.  That  night  the  frost  was  intense, 
and  our  soldiers  having  nothing  but  their  thin  overcoats 
to  wear  (the  warm  clothing  did  not  arrive  till  spring)  strict 
orders  were  given  in  the  regiments  that  every  one  should  be 
kept  awake.  Slumber  that  night  meant  death.  I remember 
trying  to  doze  near  the  camp  fire,  protected  with  a number  of 
warm  wraps,  yet  in  spite  of  ail  this  I felt  that  I was  freezing, 
and  accordingly  lit  a cigar  and  waited  by  the  fireside  till  it 
was  time  to  march. 


78.  “All  Quiet  at  Shipka  ! ” 

(All  Quiet  along  the  jPotomac.) 

General  Radetsky’s  report  to  the  commander-in-chief : 
The  daily  losses  from  Turkish  bullets  were  far  exceeded  by 
those  from  frost-bite.  Nearly  the  whole  of  the  24th  division 
was  frost-bitten.  Regiments  were  dreadfully  reduced  in 
strength  ; in  some  companies  only  ten  men  and  a few  sub- 
alterns were  left  ; at  length,  the  pitiable  remnants  were  with- 
drawn from  position.  The  General  reported  as  usual,  “ All 
is  quiet  at  Shipka  ! ” 

79.  Before  the  Attack. 

The  day  on  which  the  third  attempt  to  storm  Plevna  took 
place  was  cloudy,  and  from  early  morning  a fine  rain  fell, 
soaking  the  clayey  soil,  and  making  it  impossible  to  walk 
much  less  to  storm  the  heights.  I remember  the  com- 
mander-in-chief exclaiming,  as  he  clasped  his  forehead  with 
both  hands  : “ How  will  our  men  advance  ? How  can  they 
march  in  such  mire  ? ” The  attack,  nevertheless,  was  not 
postponed,  as  it  was  the  Emperor’s  birthday,  and  the  gene- 
rals were  inspecting  their  men  and  urging  them  to  make  a 
birthday  present  of  Plevna  to  H.I.M.  The  troops  lay  down 
while  awaiting  the  signal  for  the  attack. 


54 


8o.  The  Emperor  Alexander  II.  before  Plevna. 

By  the  time  I had  made  my  way  to  headquarters  I heard 
shouts,  “ Road,  road  ! ” and  at  that  minute  a Cossack  escort 
rode  past,  followed  by  an  open  carriage  in  which  sat  the 
Emperor.  He  greeted  me  with  a “ Good  morning,  Verest- 
chagin.”  Shortly  afterward  prayers  began  at  headquarters, 
the  priest  in  trembling  accents  imploring  God  to  “ grant  the 
victory  and  preserve  the  men.”  . . . 

While  we  were  yet  on  our  knees,  suddenly  the  crash  of 
artillery  fire  and  roll  of  musketry  burst  on  our  ears.  This 
proved  to  be  a mistake  on  the  part  of  some  of  our  forces 
who  had  anticipated  the  time  fixed  upon  for  the  assault  by 
four  hours.  After  prayers  were  over  breakfast  was  served, 
and  during  this  meal  His  Majesty  turned  to  us,  goblet  in 
hand,  and  said  : “To  the  health  of  those  now  fighting  there, 
hurrah  ! ” Our  answering  cheer  was  drowned  in  the  din  of 
battle. 

The  sky  was  heavily  overcast,  and  the  rain  continued  to  fall, 
as  the  group  of  officers  and  others  surrounding  the  Emperor 
watched  with  their  field-glasses  the  course  of  the  fighting,  every 
now  and  then  exchanging  a few  words  of  comment,  and  dis- 
cussing the  probabilities  of  the  situation.  Meanwhile,  he  sat 
motionless  on  his  camp-stool  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  Turk- 
ish redoubts.  The  roar  of  artille  ry  and  rattle  of  small  arms 
were  unceasing.  We  heard  distinctly  the  hurrahs  of  the 
Russians,  and  the  Aliah  ! Allah  ! of  the  Turks.  At  first 
the  Turkish  redoubts  were  almost  silent,  and  many  supposed 
them  to  be  short  of  ammunition,  but  as  our  columns  advanced, 
volley  after  volley  poured  forth  and  raked  the  storming  bat- 
tallions  with  shells  and  grape-shot.  We  saw  our  advance 
checked,  the  ranks  thrown  into  confusion,  the  lines  broken. 

. . . Again  they  move  forward  with  a cheer.  . . . but  their 
advance  is  slower.  . . . they  are  disorganized.  . . . Some 
stop.  . . . their  cheers  sound  faint  and  uncertain.  . . . 


See  ! they  turn  back. 

. . . they  run.  The 
field  of  battle  is 
shrouded  in  smoke. 

81.  After  the  Bat- 
tle. 

The  following  day, 
having  learned  from 
an  aide-de-camp  who 
had  arrived  from  Gen- 
eral Skobeleff  that  of 
my  two  brothers  who 
were  with  him,  one 
had  been  killed  and 
the  other  wounded,  I 
set  out  with  my  wound 
still  unhealed  to  reach 
the  left  flank,  which 
was  a long  way  off.  I 
met  numbers  of 
wounded  along  the 
road,  and  on  reaching 
the  field-lazaret  asked 
a doctor  how  many 
had  passed  through 
his  hands.  “ We  have 
reached  the  seventh 
thousand,”  was  his 
answer.  Altogether 
18,000  men  were 
placed  hors  de  combat 
on  the  Russian  side. 

The  doctors  worked 


No.  80, 


56 


with  wonderful  zeal  and  unselfishness,  the  services  rendered 
by  the  Sisters  of  Mercy  were  beyond  all  praise,  yet  in 
spite  of  this,  vast  numbers  remained  for  days  together  with 
their  wounds  undressed,  without  either  food  or  drink ! 
All  previous  calculations  and  preparations  were  falsified  by 
actual  necessities.  Orders  had  been  given  to  prepare  for 
three  to  four  thousand  wounded  ; instead  of  this  there  were 
actually  over  13,000.  At  the  divisional  hospital  I visited, 
accommodation  had  been  provided  for  500  men,  but  several 
thousands  were  brought  in,  causing  enormous  over-pressure. 
In  their  anxiety  that  their  wounds  should  be  dressed,  all 
crowded  to  the  tents  intended  for  the  severely  wounded  only. 

At  the  entrance  of  one  of  these  there  is  the  figure 
of  a man  breathing  heavily,  convulsively.  He  com- 
manded the  regiment  which  first  entered  the  Turkish 
redoubt  and  was  mortally  wounded.  He  is  left  in  peace 
with  a gauze  covering  to  keep  off  the  flies  adhering 
to  his  warm  blood.  Farther  on  is  a general  with  a broken 
leg  patiently  awaiting  the  dresser,  and  inquiring  of  new- 
comers the  position  of  affairs  at  the  front.  Some  are  beyond 
the  surgeon’s  skill  and  the  attendants  are  summoned  to 
remove  their  bodies  and  make  room  for  others.  Their 
places  are  quickly  filled.  This  time  a wounded  soldier  is 
brought  in,  covered  with  a soiled  cloak  thrown  negligently 
over  him  ; beneath  it  what  would  be  difficult  to  recognize 
as  a living  man.  The  face  is  of  an  ashen  hue,  the  features 
distorted  with  agony,  the  eyes  dull;  he  turns  a fixed  gaze 
upon  the  approaching  surgeon  who  stoops  and  opens  his 
clothes.  . . . then  lets  them  drop  and  passes  on  to  the 
next  : the  wound  is  mortal,  no  time  to  waste  over  it. 
Without  a sob,  without  a cry,  every  one  waits  his  turn  to 
have  his  wound  dressed  and  to  be  sent  home.  In  dry 
weather  the  wounded  were  comparatively  better  off ; during 
the  rains,  however,  all  these  thousands,  for  whom  there  was 
no  room  in  the  tents,  sat,  stood,  and  lay  in  pools  of  water. 


57 


82.  Dressing  the  Wounded. 

The  carts  used  in  transporting  the  wounded  were  the  same 
as  those  in  which  the  supplies  of  rusks  were  brought  to  the 
army,  and  these  were  supplemented  by  local  carts.  After 
the  third  assault  on  Plevna  the  whole  road  from  this  town 
to  the  Danube  was  thronged  by  transport  trains  of  these 
carts  ; what  with  the  primitive  construction  of  the  vehicles 
and  the  execrable  roads,  the  agonies  of  the  wounded  were 
horrible  beyond  description,  and  the  most  trifling  wounds 
gangrened  and  became  mortal.  During  a removal  from  one 
hospital  to  another,  lasting  usually  several  days,  in  the  heat 
and  dust,  all  the  wounds  became  full  of  worms,  and  the  Sis- 
ters of  Mercy  had  to  display  extraordinary  fortitude  in  clean- 
ing, dressing,  and  healing  all  this.  Whatever  the  behavior 
of  women  in  other  countries  and  other  armies  may  be,  I know 
not,  b*ut  this  I can  say,  that  the  Russian  woman  showed 
herself  a true  heroine  in  her  devotion,  her  honor  and 
unselfishness. 

83.  The  Turkish  Hospital  at  Plevna. 

After  the  surrender  of  this  town  we  found  the  whole 
of  the  principal  street  filled  with  hospitals  ; the  houses  on 
both  sides  were  crowded  with  sick  and  wounded.  In  the 
company  of  a doctor  and  another  friend,  I visited  these 
“hospitals.”  At  the  first  gateway  I met  the  owner  of  the 
house,  and  learned  of  him  that  there  were  thirty  sick  men  in 
it,  “ but  some,”  he  added,  “must  have  died.”  We  entered. 
No  words  can  express  the  horrors  : the  foetid  air,  the  filth, 
the  dirt,  and  in  the  midst  of  it  all  what  a scene  of  death  ! 
nothing  but  death  ! The  same  thing  in  the  next  house,  the 
third,  fourth,  tenth,  twentieth,  fiftieth — all  alike.  Now 
and  again  something  stirred  in  a corner  under  a heap  of 
•rags,  showing  that  life  was  not  quite  extinct.  In  one  house 


No.  84. 


59 


only  a wounded  Turk  met  us,  with  terribly  inflamed  eyes. 
He  had  heard  approaching  footsteps,  and  had  probably 
wanted  to  meet  11s,  but  he  was  only  able  to  stand  by  sup- 
porting himself  against  the  wall,  and  mutter  a few  words 
between  his  teeth  ; he  could  not  articulate.  In  the  panic 
of  the  last  few  days  before  the  surrender  of  the  town,  and 
also  afterwards,  the  Turks  forgot  and  abandoned  their  sick 
and  wounded  ; the  Turkish  doctors  and  surgeons  all  dis- 
persed, and  had  to  be  caught  and  forcibly  made  to  enter  the 
hospitals.  But  it  was  almost  a hopeless  task,  for  this  mass 
of  brave  men  were  beyond  human  aid. 

84.  The  Spy. 

“ Come  and  see  them  leading  away  a spy,”  said  General 
Skobeleff  (father  of  my  friend,  Michael  Skobeleff),  to  me. 
We  seated  ourselves  on  a bench  opposite  a house  entered 
by  Colonel  P.  of  the  staff,  and  an  aide-de-camp  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, who  had  just  arrived  from  headquarters. 
Before  the  porch  were  posted  soldiers  with  fixed  bayonets, 
two  in  front  and  two  on  either  side.  The  examination  and 
interrogatories  lasted  some  time,  and  half-an-hour  must  have 
elasped  before  we  saw  the  figure  of  a tall,  dark  man  on  the 
threshold.  He  was  handsomely  dressed,  and  wore  his  cap 
a little  on  one  side.  At  the  sight  of  the  soldiers  he  turned 
somewhat  paler,  stopped,  took  a deep  breath,  and  thrusting 
his  hands  into  his  pockets  began  descending  the  steps  with- 
out moving  his  eyes  from  the  soldiers. 

85.  The  Adjutant. 

Si  jeune  et  si  d^corS. 

86.  The  Road  of  the  War  Prisoners. 

The  road  from  Plevna  to  the  Danube  for  a distance  of 
thirty  to  forty  miles  was  literally  strewn  with  the  bodies  of 


frozen  wounded  Turks.  The  frost  set  in  so  suddenly,  and 
with  such  severity,  that  the  brave  defenders  of  Plevna  in 
their  stiff  frozen  overcoats  were  too  weak  to  resist  it,  and 
by  ones  and  twos  fell  on  the  road,  and  were  frozen  to  death. 
With  the  assistance  of  a Cossack  companion  I tried  to  raise 
some  of  these  fallen  and  set  them  on  their  feet,  but  they  fell 
down  again,  so  completely  enfeebled  were  they,  though 
evidently  anxious  to  follow  their  comrades.  Sitting  and 
lying  in  the  snow  they  moved  hands  and  feet  as  though 
they  longed  to  be  moving,  but  were  powerless.  The  next 
day  their  movements  became  less,  and  they  lay  on  the  snow 
by  the  hundred,  prostrate  on  their  backs,  moving  lips  and 
fingers  as  they  gradually  and  slowly  froze  to  death.  (Having 
heard  that  this  kind  of  death  was  one  of  the  least  painful,  I 
closely  examined  the  faces  of  the  corpses  lying  in  every 
imaginable  position  along  the  road,  and  convinced  myself 
that  every  face  bore  the  impress  of  deep  suffering.  This 
form  of  death  then  is  evidently  also  not  painless.)  I recol- 
lect two  Turks  in  particular — an  old  man,  and  quite  a youth, 
seated  by  the  side  of  the  road,  warming  themselves  by  a 
diminutive  fire  of  a few  sticks.  When  I stopped  my  horse 
near  them  in  the  morning,  the  youth  tried  to  speak  to  me,  but 
burst  into  tears,  and  I could  only  understand,  “ Oh,  Effendi, 
Effendi  ! ” I answered,  pointing  to  heaven,  “ Allah,  Allah  ! ” 
The  older  man  was  silent,  and  looked  gloomily  down.  On 
returning  to  Plevna  in  the  evening  I sought  out  the  place 
where  I had  left  them  ; the  little  fire  had  long  burnt  itself 
out,  the  young  Turk  lay  prostrate  and  apparently  dead,  while 
his  companion  sat  motionless  beside  him  bent  almost  double. 
He,  too,  was  probably  also  dead. 

The  first  few  days  there  was  nobody  to  remove  the  dead 
and  dying,  so  that  passing  carts  and  gun-carriages  crushed 
their  bodies  into  the  snow  and  rendered  it  impossible  to  ex- 
tricate them  without  spoiling  the  road. 


6i 


87.  A Resting-place  of  Prisoners. 

I remember  a party  of  eight  to  ten  thousand  piisoners  at 
Plevna  overtaken  by  a snow-storm.  They  extended  along 
the  high  road  for  a great  distance  and  sat  closely  huddled 
together,  with  heads  bent  down,  and  from  all  this  mass  of 
human  beings  there  rose  a dull  moaning  from  thousands  of 
voices  as  they  slowly  and  in  measure  repeated,  “ Allah  ! Allah  ! 
Allah  ! ” The  snow  covered  them,  the  wind  blew  through 
their  chilled  forms  ; no  fire,  no  shelter,  no  bread.  When 
the  word  of  command  to  start  was  given,  I saw  some  of 
the  older,  venerable  Turks,  probably  fathers  of  families, 
crying  like  children,  and  imploring  the  escort  to  let  them  go 
as  far  as  the  town  to  dry  their  clothes,  warm  themselves, 
and  rest ; but  this  was  strictly  forbidden,  as  there  were 
such  numbers  of  them,  and  only  one  answer  was  returned 
to  all  their  supplications,  “ Forward,  forward  ! ” 

88.  The  Conquered. 

A regiment  of  Chasseurs  of  the  Guard  having  been 
ordered  to  make  a feigned  attack  on  the  Turkish  fortress  of 
Telisch,  instead  of  manoeuvring,  by  mistake  attacked  in 
earnest.  Half  were  immediately  killed  or  wounded,  the 
remainder  retiring.  The  Turks  left  their  fortifications,  and 
throwing  themselves  upon  the  dead  and  wounded,  plunder- 
ing and  stripping  them  naked,  even  mutilating  them  in  the 
most  barbarous  fashion.  . . Two  days  afterwards,  when 

the  Russians  captured  the  fortress,  they  collected  the  bodies 
of  their  unfortunate  comrades,  counted,  and  buried  them  all 
in  one  large  grave.  The  priest  performed  the  burial  service, 
and  offered  up  prayers  for  all  those  who  had  lain  down 
their  lives  for  their  Fatherland. 


’88  ’ON 


^3 


89.  Russian  Types. 


(a)  Blacksmith,  native  of  Vladimir,  59  years  of  age. 

(b)  His  wife,  50  years  of  age. 

(c)  Coppersmith,  native  of  Smolensk,  62  years  of  age, 
has  all  his  life  made  cockades. 

(d)  Girl  of  district  near  Mosko,  15  years  of  age. 

(e)  Dvornik  (gate-keeper),  40  years  of  age,  native  of 
Riazan. 

(/)  Retired  valet  de  chambre , 70  years  of  age,  has  been 
50  years  in  service,  and  looks  upon  his  masters  with  feelings 
not  unmixed  with  irony. 

90.  The  Kreml,  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  River 

Moskva.  This  is  one  of  the  most  curious  sights  in 
existence.  I do  not  know  any  other  city  in  the 
world  that  would  present  more  original  and  even 
more  striking  views. 

91.  Crucifixion  by  the  Romans.  ^ “ E,ye  for 


94.  Private  Mosque  at  the  Palace  of  the  Great 

Moguls  in  Delhi. 

95.  Mendicant  Friar  of  the  Order  of  Nakhsb-bendi  at 

the  doors  of  a Mosque  in  Turkestan. 

96.  The  Kreml  of  Moscow  in  Winter. 

97.  The  same. 

98.  The  Moscow  Cathedrals  and  the  river  Moskva 
(in  the  spring). 


92.  Blowing  from  Guns  in  British 


Eye, 


India. 

93.  Hanging  in  Russia. 


Y Tooth 
for 

J Tooth.” 


04 

99-  A Street  in  the  T own  of  Rostov,  in  the  winter 
with  the  setting  sun. 

ioo.  Tkonostass  of  an  old  Wooden  Church  in  the 
Village  of  Tshna. 

Services  are  rarely  held  in  this  church.  Therefore  it  is 
preserved  as  it  was  in  the  XVIIth  century.  It  has  escaped 
the  hands  of  the.  restorers  and  of  the  lovers  of  modern 
sumptuosities. 

ioi.  Interior  of  same  Church. 

This  is  the  Prior’s  Pew,  the  church  having  formerly 
belonged  to  a monastery. 

102.  Entrance  Door  of  the  same  Church, 

Together  with  the  good  old  woman  who,  in  place  of  her 
octogenarian  husband,  takes  care  of  the  church  and  protects 
it  against  embellishments. 

103.  Ancient  Terems  (palaces)  in  the  Kreml  of 

Rostov. 

These  palaces  were  occupied  by  the  Dukes  of  Rostov ; 
after  them  by  the  metropolitans  of  the  province ; and, 
among  others,  by  Philaret,  father  of  the  first  Tsar  of  the 
house  of  Romanof,  who  was  forced  to  take  orders  by 
another  pretender  to  the  throne,  a more  powerful  man, 
Godunof,  who  succeeded  in  getting  into  power  for  a short 
time. 

104.  Entrance  Door  to  the  Ipatief  Cathedral  at 

Kostroma. 

At  this  door  came  out  the  first  Romanof,  the  Tsar 
Michel  Feodorovitch,  when  he  showed  himself  to  the  people 
after  his  election.  The  young  prince  was  hiding,  together 
with  his  mother,  behind  the  walls  of  the  monastery  from  the 


A Jew  of  Jerusalem. 


67 


Poles,  who  devastated  Russia  at  that  time  ; and  it  was  here 
that  he  received  the  delegated  who  came  solemnly  offering 
the  crown  to  him. 

105.  Family  Vault  of  the  Soltykofs  and  other  princely 
families  in  the  monastery  of  Bogojavlensk  in  Kostroma. 

❖ sfs  % 

The  exhibition  also  includes  a collection  of  Photographs 
of  my  earlier  works,  chiefly  relating  to  Central  Asia. 

106.  The  Portico  of  a Church  of  the  XVIIth  Cen- 
tury in  Jaroslexv. 

It  is  on  such  galleries  that,  waiting  for  the  service  to 
begin,  or  at  the  end  of  it,  the  people  come  out  to  rest 
themselves  and  to  converse.  The  vaults  and  the  walls  are 
covered  with  paintings  on  subjects  from  the  Holy  Writ,  with 
appropriate  inscriptions. 

107.  The  same. 

PHOTOGRAPHY. 

108.  An  Ambush. 

A small  Russian  detachment,  sent  on  a reconnoitring 
expedition,  has  encamped  in  a valley,  unaware  that  the 
enemy  (Uzbeks  and  Kirghizes)  is  concealed  in  the  neigh- 
boring hills,  watching  a favorable  moment  for  the  attack. 

109.  The  Surprise. 

No  sooner  has  the  detachment  dispersed,  intent  on  various 
errands,  than  masses  of  the  enemy  are  upon  it,  uttering 
terrible  cries,  and  brandishing  their  swords  and  spears.  All 
those  Russians  who  had  gone  a little  distance  are  cut  down; 
the  remainder  assemble  and  prepare  to  sell  their  lives  dearly. 
(I  was  present  at  one  of  these  engagements.) 


68 


no.  Surrounded — Pursued. 

The  handful  of  brave  survivors,  surrounded  on  all  sides, 
retreats  fighting.  They  have  beaten  off  the  enemy,  and 
keep  him  at  a respectful  distance  with  their  rifle  fire.  The 
dead  are  abandoned,  the  wounded  led  away.  An  officer 
is  carried  by  his  men.  (A  picture  representing  the  total 
destruction  of  a detachment  in  a mountain  defile,  where  the 
last  survivors  are  shot  down  and  killed  by  fragments  of  rock 
hurled  from  the  crags  above,  was  not  finished.) 

ill.  Presenting  the  Trophies. 

In  the  palace  of  the  Emir  of  Bokhara,  at  Samarkand.  In 
the  background  is  the  celebrated  ‘ Kok-tash  ’ — the  throne 
of  Tamerlane.  The  heads  of  the  slaughtered  Russians  are 
brought  to  the  Emir,  who  rewards  the  bearers  of  these 
trophies  with  the  customary  robes  of  honor,  each  individual 
receiving  according  to  the  number  of  heads  he  brings. 

1 12.  Triumph. 

The  Emir  presents  his  people  with  the  heads  of  their  foes. 
These  are  then  stuck  upon  high  poles  in  the  principal  square 
in  Samarkand,  in  front  of  the  mosques.  A mollah  preaches 
on  the  text  : “ Thus  God  ordains  that  infidels  should  perish  ; 
there  is  only  one  God  ! ” 

113.  Returning  Thanks  for  the  Victory. 

The  Emir  and  his  retinue  offer  up  thanksgivings  for  the 
victory  at  the  grave  of  Tamerlane — great  Mohammedan 
saint  of  our  day — noted  conqueror  and  robber  of  former 
times. 


69 


114.  Apotheosis  of  War. 

Dedicated  to  all  the  great  conquerors,  past,  present,  and 
future.  This  picture  is  not  the  creation  of  the  artist’s 
imagination — it  is  historically  correct.  Tamerlane  and  many 
other  heroes  raised  such  monuments  on  their  battle-fields, 
leaving  the  bones  to  be  cleansed  and  whitened  by  the  sun 
and  rain,  by  wolves,  jackals,  and  birds  of  prey.  Not  very 
long  ago,  about  i860,  the  celebrated  German  scientist, 
Schlagintweit  (while  in  the  English  service),  was  murdered 
by  Valikhan-tiure,  despot  of  Jetyshar  in  Kashgaria,  and  his 
head  was  thrown  on  a similar,  though  smaller  pyramid, 
which  it  was  the  Khan’s  amusement  to  watch  growing  daily 
bigger. 

1 15.  Gate  of  Tamerlane. 

In  the  palace  at  Samarkand. 

116.  Gate  of  a Mosque. 

Two  friars  of  the  begging  order  of  Nakshbendi  engaged 
in  the  usual  way  ; a common  mode  of  passing  spare  time  in 
Central  Asia. 

117.  Hush!  Let  Them  Enter. 

During  the  defence  of  Samarkand  by  the  Russians,  an 
assault  was  momentarily  expected  through  one  of  the 
breaches  made  by  the  enemy  in  the  walls.  The  shouts  of 
the  approaching  multitude  were  audible,  and  I begged 
Colonel  N.,  then  in  command  of  the  garrison,  to  sally  out 
to  meet  them  but  his  answer  was,  “ Hush  ! let  them  enter.” 

1 18.  They  Have  Entered. 

The  assault  has  been  repulsed,  and  the  tired  soldiers  are 
calmly  smoking  their  pipes,  whilst  a few  remove  the  dead 
bodies. 


70 


119-  From  Mountain  to  Valley. 

In  autumn  the  Kirghiz  abandon  their  encampments  near 
the  snow  line,  and  remove  to  winter  quarters.  In  order  not 
to  damage  their  clothes  by  packing  them  into  boxes,  they 
attire  themselves  in  all  their  best  robes,  so  that  one  of  these 
migrations  has  all  the  appearance  of  a holiday  procession. 

120.  Underground  Prison  at  Samarkand. 

Built  of  brick,  with  a narrow  funnel-shaped  mouth,  the 
only  means  of  ingress  and  egress  being  by  a rope  with  loops. 
When  I descended  into  this  gloomy  dungeon  I almost  fainted 
from  the  stench  and  foul  air,  and  could  with  difficulty  make 
my  sketch.  And  here  prisoners  remained  for  more  than  ten 
years  in  succession  without  ever  breathing  pure  air.  This 
infernal  den  was  called  the  bug-hole,  and  I believe  a certain 
kind  of  bug  or  other  insect  was  purposely  bred  to  stock  it, 
and  prey  day  and  night  upon  the  unfortunate  victims.  Let 
me  add,  however,  that  I found  no  bugs  in  it. 

In  this  very  dungeon  the  ill-fated  Stoddart  and  Conolly 
were  imprisoned  for  a time.  At  the  instance  of  the  Russian 
agent  they  were  released,  and  might  have  availed  themselves 
of  their  opportunity  to  escape,  but  refused  to  do  so  (an  his- 
torical fact). 

121.  The  Mortally  Wounded  Soldier. 

The  first  man  I saw  wounded  was  a soldier  who  had  been 
struck  by  a bullet  in  the  chest.  He  threw  away  his  gun, 
placed  both  hands  over  his  wound,  and  began  reeling  like  a 
drunken  man.  “ Oh,  comrades,  they  have  killed  me,  they 
have  killed  me.  My  death  has  come  to  me.”  . . . “Lie 

down,  brother,”  answer  his  companions,  but  he  continues  to 
stagger  a little  longer,  then  falls  prone  to  the  ground. 


7 1 


122.  The  Kirghiz  Sportsman. 

The  favorite  pastime  of  the  rich  Kirghiz  is  hawking.  For 
this  purpose  hawks  and  eagles  are  trained  by  being  blind- 
folded, and  by  never  being  allowed  to  sleep. 

123.  Sale  of  a Slave. 

124.  Central  Asian  Politicians. 

Ragged,  half  drunk  with  opium,  they  are  nevertheless 
among  the  keenest  of  politicians.  They  know  and  discuss 
not  only  what  the  Ak  Padishah,  i.  e.f  White  Tsar,  does  and 
says,  but  what  he  thinks  and  is  meditating. 

125.  Beggars  at  Samarkand. 

Along  the  highways  leading  to  the  chief  places  of  resort 
they  may  be  seen  by  the  dozen,  sometimes  sitting  on  the 
ground,  and  importunately  begging  alms. 

126.  Chorus  of  Dervishes  or  Divans. 

Of  the  aforesaid  monastic  order  of  Nakshbendi.  They 
parade  the  streets  in  troops  led  by  their  chief  singer,  and 
howl  unceasingly  until  they  receive  alms.  Every  novice,  on 
joining  the  fraternity,  receives  a cap,  a belt,  a bowl  made  of 
a gourd,  and  a dress  of  variegated  patches  of  stuff  obtained 
by  begging  at  the  bazaar. 

127.  Dividing  the  Spoil. 

128.  The  Conquerors. 

Turks  stripping  the  Russian  dead  on  the  field  of  Telisch. 

129.  Parleying. 

“ Surrender  ! ” “ Go  to  the  devil ! ” 


72 


130.  The  Forgotten  Soldier. 

In  Turkestan.  (The  original  picture  was  destroyed  by  the 
artist.) 

131.  Russian  Graves  on  the  Shipka. 

SKETCHES. 

(a)  Various.  1853-58. 

(^)  Caucasus  and  Transcaucasus,  Russian  Lecterians. 
1863-64 

(c)  Caucasus  and  Transcaucasus,  Mussulman  Shiyth  pro- 
cession. 1864-65. 

(d)  Danube  types.  1866. 

(e)  Russian  peasants.  1867. 

(/)  Types  of  Jerusalem.  1888. 


COLLECTION  OF  ARTISTIC  WORKS,  CURI- 
OSITIES, ETC. 

COLLECTED  IN  MY  VARIOUS  JOURNEYS. 

132.  Large  Carpet  from  India. 

133.  Same,  Kashmirian. 

134.  Same,  Tibetan. 

135.  Same,  Yarkandiam. 

136.  — — Same,  Turkish. 

137.  Same,  Persian. 

138.  Same,  Turkoman. 


73 


139*  Glazed  tiles  from  Jerusalem,  from  the  Mosque  of 
Omar,  and  various  other  buildings. 

140.  Others  from  the  old  Duma,  or  council  house  of 

Moscow. 

141.  Tiles  from  the  Mosque  of  Shah  Zinda  at  Samarkand. 

142.  A piece  of  marble  trellis-work  from  the  tomb  of 
Tamerlane  in  the  Mosque  of  Ghur-Amir. 

143.  A fragment  of  marble  from  the  tomb  of  Tamerlane’s 
son  in  the  Mosque  of  Ghur-Amir. 

144.  Stones  with  sacred  Budhistic  figures  and  inscriptions 
from  Ladak  and  Western  Tibet. 

145.  Medallions  used  as  talismans,  of  Tibetan  workman- 
ship. 

146.  Tibetan  prayer  wheels. 

147.  Specimens  of  Tibetan  art. 

148.  Drum,  and  pipes  made  of  human  bones  from  Tibet 
and  Sikkhim. 

149*  Drinking-cup  made  from  a human  skull. 

150.  Bowls  made  of  a full  human  skull. 

151.  Bowls  made  of  the  skeleton  of  a snake. 

152.  Bowls  made  of  dried  fruit. 

153.  Tibetan  images. 

154.  Marbles  from  the  Mosque  of  Omar. 

155-  Root  of  an  ancient  cypress  from  quarry  under  the  old 
Temple  of  Jerusalem. 

156.  Articles  used  in  Budhistic  service,  etc. 

157.  Masks  of  Tibetan  saints. 

158.  Arms  of  the  Turks  during  the  last  war:  guns  of 
infantry,  and  cavalry  swords. 

159.  Arms  of  the  Russians  : guns,  swords,  etc.,  of  infantry 
and  cavalry  ; army  sword  remodeled,  bayonet,  cutlass. 


74 


160.  Arms,  helmets,  shields,  chain-armor,  etc.,  from  India 
and  Central  Asia. 

l6x.  Indian  Vessels. 

162.  Dish  from  India. 

163.  Ditto  from  Cashmere. 

164.  A Snake  of  Indian  workmanship. 

165.  English  lady  represented  by  Hindoo. 

166.  Different  Brahmin  deities  in  copper. 

167.  Vishnu  in  white  marble. 

Ancient  Russian  Applied  Art  as  Seen  in  Different 
Objects  of  Household  Use. 

16S.  A bowl  (a  cup)  called  “ bratina  ” for  drinking  wine, 
belonging,  as  I presume,  to  the  XVIth  century,  with  an 
inscription  in  Old  Slavo-Russian,  very  difficult  to  decipher  : 
“ And  wine  will  cheat  the  spells  (dispel  the  charms),  the 
leisure  of  the  toper  ” (further  on  I could  not  make  out  the 
inscription). 

169.  A bowl,  “ bratina,”  in  copper  of  well-nigh  the  same 
age. 

170.  A scoop  for  wine,  of  the  XVIIIth  century,  with  the 
inscription  : “ Apostle  Paul  says,  ‘ It  is  not  the  wine  that  is 
cursed,  but  cursed  is  drunkenness.’  ” 

171.  A cup  for  Vodka. 

X72.  Cups,  “ Koobky,”  of  the  time  of  Peter  the  Great. 

173.  Inkstands. 

174.  Table-knives. 

175-  A copper  scoop. 

176.  A wooden  ladle. 

X 77-  A thumper  for  beating  clothes  in  washing. 


75 


178.  A copper  dish. 

179.  An  ivory  casket. 

l8c.  Wooden  caskets  for  money  and  effects. 

18 1.  Caskets  with  iron  ornamentation. 

182.  A candlestick. 

183.  A wooden  salt  box. 

184.  Snuffers. 

185.  Baskets  of  carved  birch  bark. 

186.  An  iron  ball  fastened  to  a strap  as  a weapon. 

187.  Buttons  of  man’s  and  woman’s  attire. 

188.  Ear-rings  and  clasps. 

189.  A medallion  for  white  paint  and  rouge. 

190.  Women’s  head-dresses  and  “ phaty,”  i.e.,  veiling  worn 
on  the  head. 

191.  Hand-made  lace  taken  from  towels,  bed-spreads,  and 
so  forth. 

192.  Silk  lace. 

193-  Gold  and  silver  lace  and  galoons. 

194.  Samples  of  gold  cloth. 

195-  Kerchiefs. 

196.  Crosses  in  copper,  silver,  gilded  and  enameled,  for 
wearing  close  to  the  body. 

197.  Crosses  and  medallions  for  wearing  over  the  dress. 

198.  Chains  in  silver  ; gilded  and  enameled  chains. 

199  A wooden  cross. 

200.  A cross  with  a chain — the  belt  of  a hermit. 

201.  Samples  of  wood-carving  taken  from  churches. 

202.  Beads  in  bone,  cornelian  stone,  in  wood,  in  silk, 
in  wool,  and  in  leather. 

203.  Reproductions  from  church  ornaments. 


At  the  Railway  Station. 


On  Board  Swiss  Steamer. 


Magyar.— Serbian. 


Roumanian. — Austrian  Soldier. 


A Jew  of  Jerusalem. 


•r  " r V;' ■ ; ■’ r >'  V*- 


NO IV  READY. 


PROGRESS  IN  ART 

T;  _ ANI)  ' ■"  ^ 

REALISM. 


-ALSO- 


VERESTCHAGIN, 


am 


Painter,  Soldier,  Traveler. 

Revved  Edition , with  much  new  matter  added . 


BY 


VASSILI  VERESTCHAGIN. 


TRANSLATED  BY 

F.  H.  PETERS,  M. A. 


r . 


Illustrated  with  many  original  sketches  by  the  Author. 


For  sale  at  the  American  Art  Galleries,  and  by 
Booksellers.  ( ' 


.P? 

i - . 


